It's Complicated
by siophiefandom
Summary: There's a new girl in town, and she definitely has eyes for the hot server at The Brew. It shouldn't be complicated, should it? Rated T for the first chapters; M for the balance. Paily
1. Prologue

Emily perked up when she heard the bell over the door jingle, signaling that a customer had just walked in. She was grateful for the distraction. It was a Wednesday, and Wednesdays at The Brew were always slow. She looked up on reflex to see who had come in. When she caught sight of the girl, her stomach fluttered. This girl was a vision, with auburn hair, fair skin, and a white tank tucked into a tight pair of jeans underneath a denim shirt. She had the confident look of someone who knew exactly where she was going - surprising, because Emily was certain that this person had never set foot in the restaurant before. Emily would have seen her, or someone would have mentioned her.

When someone _that_ beautiful comes in, people talk.

Emily tucked her hair into place and smoothed out her the apron over her khaki shorts, all of a sudden grateful that she had chosen to wear shorts that morning. All those years of swimming had been good to her legs. She didn't have to force the smile onto her face. It had shown up all on its own. There was no way that she could stop smiling. She actually had to tone her smile down a bit: She was going for confident and friendly, not creepy and weird. She took a moment to steady her breathing before she sauntered over to the table in the corner where the vision of loveliness had settled in.

* * *

No sooner had Paige sat down than she noticed that the table which she had chosen had a wobbly leg. _Great!_ she thought to herself, as she reached into her backpack and pulled out her notebook. She ripped out a sheet of paper and folded it over several times, then bent down underneath the table to shove the wadded paper under one of the table's legs, smiling to herself at the problem solved. "Thank you!" she heard, as she was about to get back into her chair. Still hunched underneath the table, she looked over at a pair of ballet flats at the base of a perfect set of bronzed legs that seemed to go on forever. As he followed them with her eyes, she momentarily forgot where she was and banged her head into the table-top as she straightened up. _Serves me right for leering,_ she thought.

Emily covered her mouth and tried to stifle a laugh. She placed a sympathetic hand on the woman's shoulder and apologized. "I'm sorry for laughing," she said, still smiling. "Are you okay?"

Paige was dazed, but not from the collision with the table. It was the face of the angelic creature before her, framed by bouncing waves of raven hair, that had scrambled her brain; not to mention her lilting laugh and the soft, persistent grip of her hand on Paige's shoulder. Maybe it was the bump on her head, but, more likely, it was the lighting in the room and the angle at which she was looking up at the woman, but Paige could've sworn that she saw a halo above that golden, smiling face.

"I'm good," Paige finally managed to say, desperately trying to get her swagger back.

"Thank God," Emily said, the laughs starting again, "because, if I lose another customer, it'll probably cost me my job!" Paige laughed, too, and Emily internally sighed in huge relief that this beautiful stranger had a sense of humor. "I'm Emily," she said, in a tone that she tried to convince herself was merely friendly, not flirty, "And I'll be taking care of you." Paige got caught up in those words, wanting, at that moment, nothing more than to be taken care of by Emily. "So, are you meeting someone, or…" It wasn't Emily's usual way of greeting her customers, but she justified it to herself, just this once. It was, after all, a reasonable question for a server to ask.

"Nope! I'm flying solo, today," Paige said, immediately cursing herself for not being able to come up with any better way of saying that.

"Okay, well, can I start you off with something to drink?" Emily asked, looking the girl in the eyes before she realized what a mistake that was. _God, those eyes!_ Fortunately, the stranger's eyes dropped down to the menu as soon as Emily's locked with them.

Paige looked at the half-page cardstock menu that listed the drinks, but it was all just a big jumble. There was no way that she could concentrate under the gaze of Emily's beautiful eyes. She scrunched up her lips as she tried to focus her thoughts. "Should I give you a minute?" Emily asked, tilting her head.

Paige chuckled. "I'm not usually this indecisive," she found herself saying, idly waving her hand in front of her.

"Take your time," Emily said, not realizing that her own hand had found its way back onto the beautiful stranger's well-toned shoulder. _This chick obviously works out_ , she thought. "Just give me a wave when you're ready, okay?" she advised, tilting her head toward the direction of the counter. Her customer flashed a smile and nodded her head. Emily couldn't resist squeezing the girl's shoulder before she took her hand away.

When Paige was sure that Emily was out of sight, she was finally able to exhale. She held the menu in front of her face to hide her growing smile. She was definitely going to like it here in Rosewood.

* * *

As was typical for a Wednesday afternoon, Emily wasn't too busy. She kept stealing glances at the woman over in the corner who, almost every time Emily looked over, was quickly looking away from her. The woman certainly didn't seem in any hurry to leave. Emily wasn't in any hurry to see her go, but her shift was almost over, so, reluctantly, she headed over to leave the check on the table. "No rush," she assured the girl, "I can take this whenever you're ready."

Paige smiled when she looked at the check. At the bottom, in red ink, Emily had written, "Have a nice day!" with the two exclamation points forming the eyes over a smile that Emily had drawn underneath. She signed her name, "Em," with the "E" looking more like a backwards number three. _No_ , Paige thought, _A sideways "m." How cute_ , she thought, but not as cute as the name itself. "Em." She couldn't help whispering it out loud to herself.

 _Em_ had said that she would come back for the check, but Paige decided to go up and pay. She had been reading the signals all morning. She was going to introduce herself to Emily properly, and, maybe, even, ask her out. As she gathered her things, she heard the bell over the door ring and watched as a woman who looked slightly older sauntered in the door and up to the counter, greeting Emily with a kiss.

 _Yikes!_ Paige thought, _Saved by the bell!_ She was relieved that she hadn't moved a minute earlier and embarrassed both herself and Emily. _I guess they're just really friendly in Rosewood_ , she thought, disappointed. She was sure that she had been picking up on something more from Emily. She put it down to wishful thinking. And to how tired she was of being single.

Paige, still embarrassed at her misunderstanding, left a generous tip out of guilt for anything inappropriate that she might have said or done before she knew that Em was seeing someone. While Emily was distracted by her girlfriend, Paige quietly gathered her things and made her way out of the door.

* * *

 **A/N – This story is based on a prompt that I received from lovepaily (thanks!) (and happy birthday!) when I was starting to think that my days of writing fanfiction were over:  
**

 _ **Emily is in a relationship that is going down hill and then she meets Paige and SLOWLY gains feeling for her**_

 **I may take a few liberties with the prompt, but I'll try to stay faithful to the gist of it. Please check back tomorrow for the next installment...  
**


	2. Friends

No sooner had Samara's lips parted from Emily's than Emily looked over to the table in the corner. _Damn it!_ she thought to herself, when she saw that the beautiful stranger had gone. _Maybe she left before Samara came in_ , she found herself hoping. For some reason that she didn't know or wouldn't admit to herself, she didn't want the girl to know that she was in a relationship.

Emily lapsed into the forced smile that she reserved for Samara and said, "I just have to close out one final check, and then we can leave." She accepted another kiss from her girlfriend before she practically jogged over to the table in the corner.

What Emily really hoped was that the girl had just run into the restroom and had left a credit card on the table to settle her bill. That way, at least, she would know the girl's name. She was disappointed to see cash on the table, despite the fact that it included an unusually large tip. Before she turned the check over, she peeked at Samara, to ensure that she wasn't looking over in that direction. Sometimes, customers who leave big tips write their phone numbers on the back of the check. It was a jerk move - as if Emily's affections could be bought with a tip - but she was really hoping that _this_ customer had tried it.

She sighed in spite of herself when she saw that the back of the check was blank. Not so much as a smiley face or a thank-you.

Emily knew that it was just a fantasy. And she knew that she had no right to fantasize. She was in a good relationship, she kept telling herself. She and Samara had reached their comfort zone. This was real life, not some romance novel. In romance novels, the heat never fades. In real life, things settle down.

Things with Samara were stable; solid. Emily wasn't complaining. Maybe there was a part of her that wanted to feel those butterflies again, and it was okay to want that. Perhaps it was even healthy, in small doses, for her to think about the beautiful stranger as an escape. That's what Emily tried to convince herself, at least.

Emily collected her things and headed out to Samara's car. She opened the passenger door and buckled herself in, trying her best not to let out a sigh, even though she knew how the drive was going to go. After what felt like ages of silence, Emily looked over at her girlfriend and asked, "So, how was your day?"

"It was good," Samara said, flatly, without taking her eyes off of the road to look at Emily for even a second. Emily's eyes stayed on Samara, in anticipation, although she knew that those three words were all that she was going to get. She stifled a sigh and said softly, "Mine, too."

It didn't seem like that long ago when they had lots to talk about. Emily wondered whether it was her fault. Maybe Samara would be more interested in talking to her if she were something other than a part-time student and part-time waitress. But that _used_ to be enough for them. And it still seemed to be enough for Emily's friends. They always found something to talk about.

And it certainly seemed interesting enough for the stranger at The Brew. But Emily shut down that line of thinking immediately.

Samara was a good woman. And she was good to Emily. Emily felt guilty for wanting more from her girlfriend. They didn't talk the way that they used to, but Samara was thoughtful, loyal, and loving. Emily never had any reason to question the fact that Samara loved her.

The only thing that Emily questioned was why that wasn't enough. For her. For _them_.

As they drove in silence, Emily's mind drifted to memories of going to church with her parents when she was a little child. The ceiling seemed incredibly high. She remembered staring at the recessed lights in the ceiling as the pastor spoke, in warm, soothing tones, about things that, like those lights, were way above her head. One Sunday morning, she noticed that one of the light bulbs had burned out. She assumed that somebody would change it, the way that her father climbed up on the stepladder at home and changed any bulbs that had burned out. But Sundays came and went, and the bulb was never replaced. Eventually, another bulb blew out, and it, too, was never changed. Young Emily wondered how long it could go on before somebody noticed or got fed up enough to do something about it.

Her grown-up self couldn't help thinking how similar it all was to her relationship with Samara. One by one, as lights went out, they learned to adjust to a relationship that was just that much more dim. The new normal.

Emily heard a sigh escape through her lips, but what she heard out of Samara's lips surprised her even more. "You okay?" Samara asked.

 _Wow. She actually asked me how I'm doing._

Emily shrugged. "Just thinking," she offered, and she was relieved, but not surprised, that Samara didn't bother to ask what it was that she was thinking about.

* * *

Samara hit the button on the remote to open the garage and pulled the car inside. She went to the back of the car and pulled some grocery bags out of the trunk. "Need a hand?" Emily asked.

"No," Samara said flatly. "You've been working all day." Emily smiled, and didn't argue. She held the inside door open for Samara and flipped the switch to close the garage door, turning out the light behind them.

Samara poured a glass of wine and handed it to Emily. "Sit," she said, pointing to the couch. "I'll get dinner on."

Emily set the glass down on the counter and gave her girlfriend a hug. "You're good to me," she said, and she meant it. She had been overthinking things. She could do a lot worse than a girlfriend who cares for her - and who _takes_ care of her.

"The girls are getting together tomorrow night to check out happy hour at that new bar that opened up."

"The Suds?"

"That's the one!"

"Well, that sounds like a lot of fun," Samara said, and Emily knew what was coming next: "For you."

"You could come with us? I know that they'd all love to see you."

Samara patted Emily's hand in a way that Emily tried not to read as condescending. "You guys go. You can all talk about their boyfriends and your girlfriend. Let's face it, I wouldn't be invited if I were a guy."

"I'm sure that the guys will be there," Emily sighed, rolling her eyes. "At least for a little bit?" Emily was trying to give Samara a hint.

"Maybe next time," was all that she got from her.

* * *

The Suds was like the new kid in school who was trying too hard to make a good impression. It hadn't quite seemed to nail down its personality, and was chasing after several possible directions at once. It hadn't settled on being a neighborhood hangout, a sports bar, or an upscale nightspot. Thursday night was ladies' night, and the music was just loud enough to be annoying.

Hanna came back from the bar to the table that the girls were occupying and gave them the rundown. "Drinks are the standard fare, the bar menu is cute and not too overpriced, the guy behind the bar told me that, if we stick it out till happy hour ends, things will quiet down a lot, and we'll be able to hear ourselves, and, Spencer, if you ever decide to ditch Toby, that hottie in the corner has been checking you out ever since we got here."

Spencer rolled her eyes as she turned her head in the direction that Hanna was indicating. When she saw whom Hanna was referring to, her face lit up. "Paige!" she yelled, gesturing for the girl to come over. Paige, who had been awkwardly standing at a table by herself, was only too happy to take Spencer up on the offer. Emily, on seeing who it was, immediately immersed herself in the drink menu.

Paige did a double-take when she got to the table and saw who the fourth person seated there was. Spencer stood up to greet her with a hug. "I was hoping that you'd come," she said before turning back to the table to make introductions. "Guys, this is Paige McCullers. She's new in town. We met at the gym, and, let me tell you, this girl is a beast!" Turning back to Paige, she said, "Paige, these are my best friends Hanna, Aria, and…"

"Emily" Paige said, as Spencer said the same thing. Emily looked up at Paige with a shy smile. "We met at The Brew," Paige explained to Spencer.

"Iced mochaccino," Emily said with a smile and a wink, pointing a finger at Paige. She just wanted to let Paige know that she remembered her.

"So what brings you to Rosewood?" Aria asked, scooting over so that Paige could join them in the booth.

"Real estate, I suppose." Paige sighed as she thought over her reply. "I got a job in Philly, and I'm not quite ready to pay Philly rents just yet."

"Oh, my friend works in Philly!" Emily observed, and Hanna shot her a glare, which Emily avoided. Hanna knew that something was up, since Emily had referred to Samara as her friend.

"Wow, what a coincidence," Hanna said sarcastically. "Maybe the two of you could carpool!" she said to Paige. This time, it was Emily shooting Hanna a glare.

Paige laughed nervously, sensing that she was in the middle of some sort of minefield, but not entirely sure what the two of them were talking about. She had a strong suspicion that it had something to do with the older blonde whom she had seen swapping spit with Emily at The Brew. "That might not be a bad idea," she said, "except that I keep some crazy hours."

Emily thought back to the afternoon that Paige had spent at The Brew, and realized that she must _really_ have a crazy schedule. She wondered what kind of work Paige did in Philly, if she didn't have to go in till the late afternoon or evening. Maybe she sang in a jazz band at a club. Maybe she was a doctor or a resident. "I guess that explains your two-hour lunch on Wednesday," she said, hoping that Paige would offer up more of an explanation.

Paige let out her nervous laugh again. Emily found it disarming. "Actually, I have Wednesdays off," she explained, adding, "I'm on a flexible schedule - four ten-hour days."

"Ugh. Ten hour days?" Hanna groaned.

"I know, right? But it's great to have a weekday off. Every place I have to go, it's less crowded than it would be on a weekend. And I can take care of things without having to take a day off."

"Like what?" Aria asked.

"Well, this week, for example, I closed on a house!"

Just then, their server arrived with their drinks. "Perfect timing," Hanna shouted. "A new house deserves a toast!"

After they clinked their glasses, Paige nodded toward Spencer. "By the way, thanks, Spence, for helping me with that paperwork."

"No problem," Spencer smiled. "Compared to the closings that my firm does, a simple house sale was like a day off!"

"So, what do you do?" Aria asked, to Emily's delight. She didn't want to probe Paige for information, but she really wanted to know more about her.

"She's an accountant," Spencer blurted out, eager to for everyone to know that she knew things about her newest friend.

"My firm does the books for some of the major players in Philly," Paige explained. "Most days, it's the regular nine-to-five, but, at the end of the month, things get pretty stressful. And, as the low man on the totem pole, I'm the one who gets to stay till the wee hours to make sure that all of the numbers come out right."

"And why do you take Wednesdays off?" Hanna asked. "Why not take a three-day weekend?"

"I like to think of it as a mini-weekend in the middle of the week," Paige said, winking at Hanna. "Plus, Mondays are almost impossible to take off, and on Fridays, the team usually gets together and does something after work, and who could pass up a night out in Philly, am I right girls?" Paige raised her glass for the table's concurrence, and everyone obligingly clinked with her. "Pop on a dress and some heels," Paige continued, "and no one would guess that I'm an accountant, am I right?"

Emily shifted almost imperceptibly in her seat, her thighs involuntarily squeezing together a bit at the mental image that Paige had conjured up. "So, you're the one whom I'd call if I need help with my accounting homework," she teased.

Hanna scrunched up her face. "I didn't know that you were taking accounting Em."

Emily shrugged. "I might," she said casually, shruggging her shoulders. She wouldn't. She just wanted Paige to know that she was in college; that there was more to her than just waiting tables at a coffee shop.

"So, why didn't _Samara_ come tonight?" Hanna asked pointedly.

"Good question for her," Emily sighed. She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I guess she had to get up early tomorrow, or something," she speculated, using one of her standard excuses for her girlfriend.

"Uh huh," Hanna intoned, not trying to be subtle. "Hey, Emily, come help me get the next round," she said as she grabbed Emily's hand.

When they were safely out of earshot, Hanna started in. "Okay, Em. What's going on?"

"What do you mean?" Emily said, playing innocent. She really didn't want to have this conversation. And, in fact, she wasn't even sure that she knew what was going on.

"Your _friend_ works in Philly?" Hanna challenged, with air quotes around the word "friend."

"Yeah, Hanna, she does."

Hanna tightened her lips stared at Emily, annoyed at her stalling tactics. "Are you guys fighting or something?"

"No," Emily said with an annoyed scowl. When Hanna responded with a pointed glare, Emily yelled, "What?" just as pointedly. Hanna's gaze was resolute. "No, Hanna," Emily said, her tone softening. "We're not fighting. It's just… I don't want to get into the whole discussion," she said, waving her hands beside her face, "about my sexual preference with Paige tonight, okay? I mean, I'm not going to deny who I am, but I don't think that she needs to know everything about me right off the bat, you know?"

Hanna nodded her head. It made sense. "Look – I'm sorry, Em. I wasn't thinking."

Emily shook her head. "No. Don't apologize. I mean, I know that it's no big deal to you guys, since I've been out forever. It's just, you never know how people are going to react. There's still a lot of homophobia out there."

"I know, Emily. I was being stupid. Forgive me?" Hanna tilted her head and extended her arms, offering a hug which Emily gladly accepted, relieved that Hanna had bought her explanation, although she couldn't help feeling guilty for making Hanna feel bad.

"It wasn't stupid, Hanna. I'm really glad that it's not even an issue with you. And I really wish that it were like that for everyone."

"I do, too, Em," Hanna asserted, patting Emily on the back. "I do, too."

"What do you think that's all about?" Aria wondered out loud, watching the hugs from her seat in the booth.

* * *

 **A/N - It's so nice to hear from those of you who have read my other fics (and, of course, from new readers, too!). I got a couple of comments on my note about thinking that I was finished with writing fan fiction. Just to be clear, it was the prompt for this story that got me past my writer's block. Input is always welcome! Thanks for reading!**


	3. The Starry Night

"Well, ladies," Paige said, standing up and making a dramatic, if slightly tipsy, bow to the table, "it's been a lovely evening, but I've got work in the morning, so I'm afraid that it's time for me to bid you all good night!"

"See?" Hanna slurred, "This is why you should take _Fridays_ off!"

Paige tilted her head back, mumbling to herself as she tried to process this comment. "Duly noted!" she said, a little too loud, spiralling her index finger in the air, once she picked up on Hanna's point.

Emily couldn't help smiling to herself. Paige was adorably sociable when she was slightly intoxicated. Speaking of which…

"So, how are you getting home, _Paigey_?"Hanna asked.

"Yeah," Spencer chimed in, "Aria's our designated driver tonight," she informed her, patting Aria's back. "We'd be glad to give you a lift."

"Well, that's awfully neighborly of you," Paige replied, tipping an imaginary hat, "but I don't want to poop on your party." She shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Be a party-pooper," she corrected, nodding after she thought it over and concluded that it sounded right. "It's a lovely night for a walk," she continued. "The shoes that brought me here are the shoes that shall take me home." She arched her left foot and spun around on it, with her hands joined above her head in a poor attempt at ballet. It was a little too much of a maneuver for her alcohol-impaired brain to pull off, and she stumbled slightly. She leaned back towards the table with a wink, to let them know that she was all right.

Emily's eyes followed her all the way to the exit. Once Paige was on the other side of it, Aria spoke up. "Okay, I'll just say it: Paige McCullers can definitely sit with us!" The girls laughed and clinked their glasses in agreement.

"You know what?" Emily said, grabbing her sweater, "It _is_ a nice night for a walk. I'll see you girls later." She gave each of her friends a hug and kept a respectable pace from the booth to the door before whipping her head from side to side, once she was out of the girls' view, trying to see which direction Paige had set off in. Once she caught sight of her, she walked briskly up alongside her, her arms crossed in front of her. "Care for some company?" she asked, with a smile.

Paige, startled at first, smiled over at Emily and extended her arm towards her, in an act of camaraderie. Emily linked her arm through Paige's loosely and sighed to herself. She really enjoyed Paige's company. She could definitely see the two of them becoming best friends. She was about to open her mouth to ask where Paige lived when Paige spoke. "Look at all those stars," she said, spreading her hand toward the sky in an arching motion. "Can you imagine how many of them there are out there? And to think, for ages and ages, our ancestors have looked up into the sky to those very same stars at night."

"The sky's so clear tonight," Emily agreed, staring up into the dark night sky, dotted with numberless stars.

"That's one thing about living in a city," Paige mused. "You can't see the stars. We create our own light, because we're afraid of the night's darkness, but we lose the beauty of the starlight." Emily looked at Paige with sheer awe and wonder. Paige misread the look, thinking that Emily must've thought that she was crazy. "Oh, what the hell do I know?" she backtracked. "I'm drunk."

Emily rubbed Paige's shoulder lightly, resisting the strong urge to rest her head on that shoulder. "Did you ever wish upon a star?" she asked.

"All the time," Paige responded, cheerfully.

"Well, what do you wish for?"

Paige drunkenly shook her head. "You can't tell a wish, Emily. If you do, it won't come true."

That got Emily intrigued. "Oh, you can tell _me_ , Paige. I'm good at keeping secrets!"

Paige shook her head no. "Please?" Emily begged. Paige kept shaking her head. " _Please?_ " Emily dipped her head and gave Paige an adorable, playful pout.

"No, no, no, no, no" Paige slurred. Once the "Nos" started, it was hard for her intoxicated brain to stop them. "If I tell you," she said before thinking it through, "you'll just think that I'm flirting."

Emily stopped dead in her tracks. That wasn't what was expecting to hear at all. But, at least she didn't have to wonder whether or not Paige was gay.

"And, believe me," Paige said, recovering quickly, "I would never flirt with someone who's in a relationship. I respect you and your lovely girlfriend too much for that," she added, nodding as if to show her respect.

 _Shit_ , Emily thought, realizing that Paige must've seen Samara kiss her the other day at The Brew.

Emily smiled anyway. She _had_ to find out what Paige's wish was. "And I respect you for that," she said. "But you can't say something like that and then not tell me what the wish is," she said, playfully turning away from Paige and starting to walk again, folding her arms in front of her again.

Paige sighed and tilted her head in frustration. She shoved her hands in her pockets and took a couple of brisk steps to catch up to Emily. When Emily looked over and smiled, acknowledging Paige's presence, Paige dipped her head and spilled. "I just wish for a woman to come along whom I could give my heart," she said with a shrug. "I don't think that it's too much to ask, do you, Emily?"

Emily felt her heart break a little for Paige. She hugged her quickly from the side. "You'll find that woman, Paige. I'm sure of it," she said, rubbing Paige's back.

Paige chastised herself for enjoying Emily's touch a little more than she should have. "Well, if you find her first," she slurred, "please send her my way." She kept her hands in her pockets. Part of Emily wished that they were still linking arms.

"I can't believe…" Emily started, and then just smiled, shaking her head.

"Nope!" Paige said, playfully wagging a finger in front of Emily's face. "You can't say something like that and just not tell!"

Emily shook her head and smiled. She had to live by her own rule. With a sigh, she said, barely above a whisper, "I can't believe that a girl like you is still single." After the final syllable dropped, she looked up to gauge Paige's reaction. "I'm sorry, Paige," she added. "I didn't mean…"

"No need to apologize!" Paige replied, not letting things get too serious. "We're just talking," she shrugged.

 _Talking_ , Emily thought. That was exactly what they were doing. Why was talking so easy to do with this person with whom she had only spent a grand total of four hours, but such a chore with her girlfriend?

"Well, this is me," Paige said, gesturing with her open palm toward an older, Victorian-looking house.

"Oh!" Emily said, "You bought the old Lowrie place!" She should've known. It was a small town. There weren't very many houses on the market.

"Indeed I did," Paige said with relish. "Don't worry," she added, "I'm not a cad. Of course, I'll walk you the rest of the way to your place."

Emily burst into laughter. "Oh, my goodness! We actually walked past my house about a block and a half ago! I wasn't paying attention!"

"Ah!" Paige said, raising her index finger. "You don't want the flirtatious, drunk stranger to know where you live! Very wise, Ms. Fields, very wise!"

Emily swatted at Paige's shoulder, laughing at the comment. "It's not like that," she said, shaking her head. "In fact, you'll have to come by and have dinner sometime… with me and my Mom." She added that last phrase when she realized what the invitation may have sounded like.

"I'd be delighted, milady," Paige replied, bowing at the waist. "And, if you're sure that I can't walk you home, I'll bid you _adieu._ "

" _Au revoir_ ," Emily corrected.

Paige looked at her, confused. " _Good night,_ " she shrugged, in the end.

* * *

That night, Emily had a hard time getting to sleep. She stepped out into the hallway and saw that her mother's light was still on. Feeling a little like a five-year-old child for running into her mommy's room, she wandered over, leaning in the open doorway.

Her mom tilted her Sudoku book down and looked over her reading glasses at her daughter. "Everything okay, Emmy?"

Emily sighed, made her way over to the bed and flopped down on top of it, letting her feet flit forward and back as they dangled over the side of it, locked together. Her mom took off her glasses, put her book and the bedsheets aside, and sat down next to her daughter. "What's wrong?" she asked, and Emily just shrugged, slouching a bit so that she could lay her head on the shorter woman's shoulder. "Is this about Samara?" Pam asked, and Emily sighed again. "What's wrong, Baby?" Pam persisted.

"I don't know, Mom. It's just… Do you and Dad ever have… like, dry spells?"

Pam furrowed her brow. "What do you mean, Emmy? Is this about the lesbian bed death?"

Emily sat up straight and let out a gasp. "Mom!" she whined, "Where did you even hear that term?"

"I don't know, Em. Probably in one of those books that Dr. Sullivan had your father and me read after you came out," Pam said, as casually as if she were discussing where she got her recipe for empanadas. "Or, maybe," she said, crinkling her forehead in thought, "it was on 'The L Word.'"

Emily stifled a laugh as, once again, she rested her head on her mother's shoulder. "Well, no," she said melodramatically. "It's not _that_. It just feels as if we're in a lull, you know? As if that excitement isn't there the way that it was in the beginning."

Pam nodded, smoothing a hand over Emily's hair. "Aw, Honey, every couple goes through that at one time or another. Sometimes, you just need to mix things up a bit, you know? As much as I hate the fact that your father is away so much of the time, at least it helps us to keep things fresh, whenever we see each other." After a moment, she added, "And, just to be clear, I'm not talking about sex."

Emily couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Yes, Mom. For the love of God, please, let's not talk about sex."

"Well, what _is_ it about, Emily?"

"I don't know, Mom. Sometimes, I feel as if _I'm_ the problem, you know? Like, maybe if I were more interesting, Samara would enjoy talking to me more, or hanging out with me more."

Pam turned toward her daughter, taking her by the shoulders. "Now, Emily," she said, in a serious tone, "I don't care whom you're dating or how much you love her – or him. If you're with someone who makes you feel that you're not good enough, you're with the wrong person. If someone loves you, you're interesting enough. If you're not interesting to someone, then, maybe she doesn't love you."

Emily took a deep breath. She knew that Samara loved her. Samara was always thinking of her and doing things for her. "No, Mom," Emily said after some thought. "I'm just being paranoid, or something. I mean, Samara's never said anything. It's just – I'm just trying to figure out why we don't talk anymore, so…"

"So you blamed yourself?" Emily, instead of answering, simply rested her head on her mother's shoulder again. "Well, have you talked to Samara about it?"

Emily was glad that her mother couldn't see her rolling her eyes. She could only imagine how that conversation would go. Samara would get defensive, and Emily would get hurt. It wasn't worth bringing it up. "I don't know," she said, at last, sitting up and folding her hands in her lap. "Maybe I'm just overthinking things. She's a good girlfriend, right?" _So what if we don't talk anymore?_

Pam forced herself to smile. She knew that Emily wouldn't want to be told that she shouldn't settle; that she was still young, and that she still had time to find the relationship that she deserved. And she understood from Emily's history of dating in high school why Emily might be hesitant to move on, even though things with Samara weren't as they should be. But, most of all, she knew that there was only so much advice that her adult daughter would be willing accept from her. She would just have to trust that Emily would reach the right conclusion on her own.

"Well, maybe try spicing things up a little, you know?" she offered. "Change your routine. Maybe you guys should go away for the weekend, sometime? Take a couple of days for yourselves?"

Emily smiled genuinely and gave her mom a big hug. She really did feel better after having talked with her. As she headed back to her room, she thought about how far her mother had come since Emily first came out back in high school. She wouldn't have been able to have this conversation with her mom back then; not without being told that she needed to find a _guy_ who would treat her right, and not without some subtle digs about how catty things can get when girls are together. It hadn't been easy for her mom, but as Emily thought back to all of the times that her mom had listened to her whine and vent over her many high school relationships, she realized that Pam had always truly been there for her. She turned around headed back down the hall, poking her head through the door again. "Thanks, Mom," she beamed. "I love you."

Pam smiled back at her. "I love you, too, Honey. I know that you'll figure it out." Pam was careful not to say, "you'll _work_ it out," or "you _and Samara_ will figure it out." Although she wouldn't say so to Emily, she hoped that her daughter would figure out that there were better alternatives for her than what she was clinging to with Samara.


	4. Car Trouble

Emily heard the tooting of Hanna's horn on Saturday morning and looked at her phone to check the time. She had slept in, but after another night of insomnia, it still felt too early to be getting up. Still, she was eager to see her best friend. She hoped that talking things through with Hanna would help her clear her head. It usually did.

She gave her mother a smile and a wave as she headed out of the door, and gave Hanna the same gestures as she walked up to the car. Hanna smiled back, her eyes focused on the visor as she picked at her blond curls in the mirror. When Emily settled into the passenger's seat, Hanna sighed, relaxing her shoulders and allowing her hands to droop into her lap. She started right in. "So, what's going on with you and Samara?"

Emily sighed deeply. It was their regular Saturday coffee date. It wasn't as if she had asked to meet Hanna and talk about Samara, but she wasn't surprised that Hanna knew what she needed to talk about. "Can we just get to The Brew first?" she asked. "I'm going to need some caffeine in my system."

Hanna smiled reassuringly, gently patting Emily's thigh before she shifted the car into gear and pulled out of the driveway. She turned on the radio to fill in the space for their drive. Emily wasn't ready to talk about Samara, and Hanna wasn't ready to hear about anything else.

* * *

"So?" Hanna prodded amiably, once she and Emily were settled in, with their drinks in front of them. She was ready to listen, without judgment. She really wanted what was best for her best friend.

Emily picked at the grains of sugar on top of her muffin, looking up at the ceiling before she looked into her best friend's eager, encouraging eyes. "It's complicated," Emily said, laughing lightly at the cliché that she had just spouted. She paused before she elaborated. "I don't know, Hanna. Things are okay with Samara. They're just - blah - you know? I guess you could say that we're in a rut."

"When did you start to feel like this?" Emily shrugged. Hanna expected that reaction. "Was it when you met _Paige_?" Hanna prodded. Emily looked down at her muffin. She shrugged again, more weakly this time. Hanna lowered her head and moved it closer to Emily's face, forcing herself into Emily's line of sight.

Emily fell back against her chair. "I don't know, Hanna!" she whined. "I don't know. I mean, Samara and I are solid." Hanna nodded her agreement. "But we just - there's no spark. Is that normal?" Hanna opened her mouth, but before she could answer, Emily continued. "We _never_ talk. It's almost as if she's bored with me."

Hanna kept nodding her head. When Emily shrugged her shoulders again, Hanna spoke up. "Okay, but, Em, you didn't answer my question: Did you feel like this before Paige?"

"I wish that I had an answer, Hanna. It's... it's like - say you had a car, and it ran well, and it was comfortable. But you've had it so long that you just get used to things - like, the wipers smudge the windshield, and the turn signal sticks. You learn to deal with all of that stuff. And, then, you rent a car on vacation, and you realize - Wow! this is how driving is supposed to feel, you know? This is what it _used_ to feel like."

Hanna nodded and thought it over. It was a valid point. "Okay," she said after a moment, "but do you go out and buy a new car, or do you fix the old one? Because, Em, it's a lot easier to trade cars than it is to change relationships. People's lives are involved. And, what if you decide to chase after Paige, and you find the same frustrations with her - or new ones?"

Emily just sat there chastened. She appreciated the advice that Hanna was giving her, but did she really have to come at her so hard?

"And I thought that you were leaving _that_ Emily behind,"

Emily gasped, slightly, in surprise at Hanna's statement. Then, she lowered her head. She wasn't proud of her dating habits from her high school days.

Hanna realized that she had pushed a bit too hard. She changed her approach. "Do we even know that Paige is gay?" she challenged. Emily nodded her head slightly, and Hanna gave her a look of disbelief, as if it were just Emily's wishful thinking.

"Yes, she is," Emily confirmed.

"Emily..." Hanna let Emily hear her disappointment at the fact that Emily had actually probed Paige for that information.

"We were just talking, Hanna. I don't know - something stupid about wishing on a star, and she said that she was wishing for a girl to give her heart to," Emily said with a shrug of her shoulders. Hanna scowled, thinking that Emily had let Paige flirt with her. "It was really sweet, Hanna," Emily said, adding, "And she told me that she didn't want to sound flirty, because she respected my relationship."

"You told her?"

Emily let out a deep breath. "Samara picked me up after my shift on Wednesday. I guess Paige must've seen her kiss me."

"When was this?"

"I told you - after my shift."

"No, I mean, when did you have the conversation about Paige being gay?"

"After happy hour on Thursday night."

"You ran into her?"

"I may have... followed her a little bit."

"I knew it!" Hanna balled her fists in triumph. She had thought that there was something fishy in the way that Emily had decided to walk home so soon after Paige left. After a moment of internal celebration of her on-target instincts, she sighed. "So. Samara?"

"I love her, Hanna. I guess. You're right. I don't need a new car. I need to work on the one that I have." Emily tightened her lips together and nodded her head once, to indicate her resolve.

Hanna reached for Emily's hands and gave them a light squeeze. She wondered whether Emily was trying to convince her or to convince herself.

"So, Paige is pretty cool, though?" Emily proposed, after a respectable pause.

"Emily," Hanna said, caution lacing her tone.

"I mean as a _friend_. We had fun hanging out the other night, right?"

"She can sit with us," Hanna conceded, echoing Aria's assessment. Turning serious, she added, "Just promise me you'll be careful, okay, Emily?" Emily looked at her questioningly. "I mean - it's okay to have Paige as a friend, but you need to sort out your relationship with Samara first. If you decide to work things out with Samara, you and Paige can be friends, and, if you decide to end things with Samara, you and Paige can be friends. But, while you're here -" Hanna gestured, circling her finger over a spot on the table, "in limbo - Paige is just going to complicate your thoughts. And your feelings." Hanna gave Emily a sincere look, pleading with her to think carefully about what she was doing.

* * *

Emily was grateful for Hanna's advice. And she knew that her friend was right. But that didn't stop her from firing up her laptop and searching for "Paige McCullers" on facebook the moment that she got home. She smiled at the smile on Paige's face in her profile picture, and, before giving herself the chance to consider the wisdom of the move, she clicked on the button to send Paige a friend request. Paige was new in town, she justified to herself, and she could use some local friends. She quickly suggested Hanna, Spencer, and Aria as friends, to make herself feel less guilty, before she started stalking her way through Paige's photo albums in earnest.

A quick hour or so later, Emily had picked up a few details about her newest facebook friend. She was a jock at Florida State - no surprise, from what Emily had already seen of her body - a swimmer, like Emily, and a field hockey player, like Spencer. There was one picture, in particular, of Paige in mid-stride with a fierce look on her face, her stick at about hip level, with the wind having caught the flap of her skirt, blowing it back from her thigh. Emily lingered a little too long over that picture, her mouse hovering over the "Like" button. In the end, she decided that liking that particular picture wouldn't be appropriate. She really felt like setting the picture as the wallpaper for her phone, though. She found herself wondering whether Penn ever played Florida State in field hockey, and why Spencer hadn't gotten her tickets for that match.

Even though it was wrong, she clicked frantically through the albums from swim season, wanting to see more of Paige - the kind of "more" that she could see when Paige was in her Speedo - but there were only action shots, with Paige's head and arms poking out of the pool as she swam, and team photos, where Paige's body was obscured by her teammates. It was probably just as well, Emily thought.

She didn't see any obvious exes, but she wouldn't have been surprised that Paige had expunged those if there had been a rough break-up. And, she hadn't seen any siblings either, for that matter, but that didn't mean that Paige was an only child. What were the chances that two only-child lesbian swimmers would end up in a small town like Rosewood, she laughed.

As Emily clicked back in time through Paige's albums, she heard the "Ding!" of a facebook notification. In the corner of the screen, she read, "Paige McCullers likes your album, 'That Championship Season.'" Emily giggled out loud and clicked on the album from her senior year at Rosewood High, to refresh her memory of what potentially embarrassing pictures it contained. Soon, she got another notification. Paige had commented on the album, "Nice form, Fields! :)"

Emily felt a little less guilty about stalking Paige, once she could see that the stalking was mutual. But then she remembered the real reason that she should have felt guilty: Samara. _Oh, Shit! Samara!_ she thought, remembering that Samara would be picking her up in less than two hours. She quickly closed her laptop and set to work at making herself presentable.

* * *

Later that evening, Emily found herself really enjoying the movie that she and Samara were watching. It was nice being in a theater. Even though they didn't have the privacy of being at home, they didn't have anything to distract them from their time together. Even though they were in a crowd, it almost felt like just the two of them. Samara looked at Emily, smiling at something that had happened on the screen, and Emily smiled back, leaning over to rest her head on her girlfriend's shoulder. Samara leaned her head on top of Emily's for a moment, and Emily felt content. She reached across the massive armrest between the two of them, despite the discomfort that the expanse of hard plastic caused, and took hold of Samara's hand in her lap. Samara smiled, placing a kiss on the top of Emily's head.

On the walk to Samara's car, Emily linked arms with Samara, once again letting her head rest on Samara's shoulder. Linking arms wasn't their usually thing. If anything, their thing was to hold hands. And Emily couldn't help but think back to how comfortable it had felt walking arm in arm with Paige two nights before.

They stopped for coffee before Samara dropped Emily off at home, and Samara actually talked. Emily appreciated the effort, half wondering whether or not Hanna had said something to her, but knowing deep down that Hanna would never violate her trust like that, even with good intentions.

It wasn't just the two of them in the coffee shop, though. Samara had her constant companion with her, and she was madly pecking away at its screen, mouthing the words, occasionally, as she typed them in. Emily used to find it cute, the way that Samara couldn't seem to text without moving her lips, but competing with a phone got to be old pretty quickly.

"So, what was your favorite part of the movie?" Samara asked, not looking up from the phone. Emily half expected Siri to answer.

"The part where we had to put our cell phones away," Emily said, immediately cringing. Samara had been making and effort, and Emily felt bad for scolding her with sarcasm.

Samara took it in stride, though, smiling as she put her phone away. "Sorry, Babe. I'm all yours."

Emily had to admit: She liked the sound of that. Maybe Hanna was right. They could fix things. And, maybe, her mom was right, too. She and Samara just needed to talk things through. And, possibly, to spice things up.

"Maybe we could get away next weekend," Emily said hopefully. She wanted to try to build some momentum while things were going well.

"Maybe," Samara said with a smile, and Emily tried to cling to the hope that it was a genuine "maybe" this time, not just a polite deflection.

"Where do you think that we could go?" Emily asked, with eager eyes.

Samara shrugged. "This is your idea, Babe. What did you have in mind?"

Emily struggled not to take Samara's response the wrong way. She wanted Samara to be excited about getting away, not to do it just to agree in an attempt to placate her clingy girlfriend. "I don't know," Emily said, not all of the eagerness having left her eyes. "Someplace where it's just the two of us. Even just a hotel in Philly for a night. Or a couple of nights."

"A Stay-cation," Samara smiled. Emily nodded eagerly at that little sign of enthusiasm. "Sounds nice."

"I could go on Hotwire and try to find something?"

"Better let me check my schedule first, Babe. I'll get back to you."

 _Nice of you to fit me in_ , Emily thought, but she held her tongue. She noticed the way that Samara kept looking down at her hand, finally realizing what was going on. Samara was reflexively looking at the spot where her phone would have been. Even though she had put the phone away, it was still not far from her thoughts. Emily almost told her just to go ahead and pull out her phone, but she decided to take one more shot at getting her girlfriend's attention. She grabbed the hand that Samara kept staring at, and, when she did, Samara pulled Emily's hand up to her lips and gave it a kiss.

 _Emily 1, Phone 0,_ Emily thought. But it felt like a hollow victory.

* * *

"So, I met the woman who bought the old Lowrie house," Emily announced on the way home. She wanted to be friends with Paige, and she wouldn't do that behind Samara's back.

"Yeah?" Samara replied, without emotion.

"Yeah. She came into The Brew, and then we ran into her on Thursday night."

"Your girls' thing?"

"Right. And it turns out that she knew Spencer from the gym."

Samara just nodded.

"She's pretty cool," Emily said. "We're probably going to hang out with her some more." Emily waited for some response, but none came. She could see that the window of Samara's attention was closing. "You should meet her!" Emily was chipper, anyway. _Maybe_ , said the voice in her head, predicting what Samara's response would be, just as Samara confirmed it by saying the word out loud.


	5. Wednesdays at The Brew

A couple of weeks passed, and Samara still hadn't managed to find time for the weekend getaway with Emily. Emily was determined to be patient with her, deciding to love Samara for who she was, not who she dreamed that her girlfriend would be. She would embrace the real world rather than chase the fantasy.

It helped that Emily had a new friend. Paige became a regular at The Brew on Wednesdays, timing her visits to coincide with Emily's lunch breaks.

Emily's friendship with Paige actually helped make things easier for Emily and Samara. On the one hand, her weekly lunches and intelligent conversation with Paige filled the void in her life, so that she was less aware of what she was missing in her interactions with Samara. At first, Emily worried that it was intellectual cheating of some sort for her to let Paige fill this void, but she eventually came around to the fact that it was completely innocent. After all, if Emily went out for a big lunch on nights when she was meeting Samara, because Samara didn't like to cook, that wouldn't be nutritionally cheating on Samara with the restaurant. Actually, the restaurant would be doing Samara a favor.

The biggest boost that spending time with Paige gave to Emily's and Samara's relationship, though, was the way that Paige always affirmed that relationship. She applauded all of the little things that Samara did, like surprising Emily at work and dropping off a little treat, picking her up from school on a rainy night, or taking her out to the movies. These were things that Emily had begun to take for granted, in all of her frustration over all the things that Samara was not, but, when Paige celebrated them, Emily realized how good she had it. And Paige was always quick to add, "It sucks being single." When she did, Emily smiled and tried to find something to tell Paige to make her feel better. The more she heard that lament, though, the more she realized that she didn't want to be alone, and how happy she was to have someone. Anyone. Even Samara.

The sad thing was that the relief that Paige provided Emily wasn't doing anything to improve her relationship with Samara. It was only papering over the very real issues that were there. If anything, it made things worse, because, with Emily no longer raising the issues that frustrated her, Samara had little incentive to change - and, in fact, little awareness that any change was needed.

And the other problem was that, the more time that Emily and Paige spent together, the harder it was for Emily to convince herself that what she felt for Paige was purely platonic.

* * *

Paige and Emily were laughing and enjoying their lunch date when Emily's eyes widened as the door front door opened behind Paige. "Busted!" she sang, playfully bobbing her head. As if she and Paige were doing anything wrong. As if Samara were invested enough to get jealous.

As Paige whipped her head around to see who was coming in, Emily stood up and gave her girlfriend a kiss. "Did you finish work early today?"

Samara shook her head. "I had that plumber this morning. You remember."

"Oh, yeah," Emily said.

"Yeah. So, I'm going in late," Samara continued, looking at the time on her phone. "I just popped in to say hi." She was about to dash out, but Emily pulled her back and turned her toward the table.

"Sam, this is Paige."

"Oh! Paige!" Samara said with a welcoming smile. "I've heard so much about you!"

Paige smiled uncomfortably, standing for an awkward handshake. She felt that she should say, "I've heard a lot about you, too," but she really hadn't. So, she went with the old standby, "All good, I hope!"

Samara smiled and nodded. "We need to get together sometime. But, right now," she said, pointing to her phone, "I've really got to run." She gave Emily a quick kiss and made her way out of the door.

Emily and Paige retook their seats. When they heard the jingle of the doorbell signalling Samara's exit, they both burst into laughter, although neither of them knew why.

Paige let out a sigh. "I want that," she said, with a sad smile. Emily's head snapped back and she furrowed her eyebrows at the comment. "Oh, God, no. Shit, sorry, Emily!" Paige dipped her head, smiling nervously. "Jeez, McCullers," she said poking herself in the temple, "try thinking before you speak." She shook her head and started over. "I don't want your girlfriend, Emily, I swear. What I meant to say was – I want what you guys have."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Paige said wistfully. "Someone who'll stop by on her way to work, just to say hi..." Paige trailed off. Emily felt guilty at being so frustrated with Samara. Paige was right: She should be glad to be with someone so thoughtful. "Do you think that I'll ever have something like that?"

Emily squeezed Paige's forearm. "Of course you will, Paige. Any girl would be lucky to have someone like you."

Paige forced a smile, placing her hand on top of the one that Emily had placed on her arm and returning Emily's squeeze. "It just feels like those Black Friday sales, you know? I mean, I know that there's all this great stuff out there, but, by the time I show up, everything that's any good has already been picked over."

"Hey!" Emily struck the table with her palm, as if to shock Paige out of her funk. "You're going to find someone! _We're_ going to find you someone!"

Paige smiled, wishing that she could be so optimistic. She bit her lip at the thought that was rolling around in her brain: _I just want you, Emily._ But, as usual, she had shown up too late for that. It was the story of her life.

Their awkward moment of silence was interrupted by a buzzing in Paige's pocket. Emily relaxed back into her seat, to give Paige space, but Paige didn't make a move for her phone. "Aren't you going to get that?" Emily asked with a gentle smile.

Paige shrugged. "Sorry," she said as she reached into her pocket and pulled her phone out halfway. She looked at the screen and rolled her eyes before she tucked the phone back. She smiled again when she looked at Emily. "Don't you hate those things?" she asked. "Here we are, having a real, face-to-face conversation, and all of a sudden this little piece of..." Paige bobbed her head searching for a better word. " _electronics_ demands attention."

Emily giggled weakly. "Yeah," she said, looking off to the side. "Competing with a phone for attention... I wouldn't know anything about that."

* * *

"Fair warning," Spencer called out, loud enough to be heard over the treadmill and speaking in clipped phrases as she fought to keep her breathing regular. "Emily's on the prowl to find you a girlfriend."

Paige faltered from her pace for a moment, but quickly recovered. "A lot of lesbians here in Rosewood?"

"Sure seemed that way in high school! It was like a revolving door for Emily. That's what it felt like, at least."

"Really?" Paige chuckled to herself.

"She used to go through girlfriends the way that I go through running shoes. She was like a magnet."

 _Maybe it was that magnet that drew me to this town_ , Paige teased herself.

"Wish you'd known her back then. Actually," Spencer yelled, "I wish you'd gotten to know her two years ago. Before Samara."

Paige tripped over those words - literally. When she did, the emergency shut-off switch was jerked out of its receptacle, stopping her treadmill. Spencer yanked the switch that was tethered to her shorts, to stop her machine as well. "Sorry," she said, pausing to catch her breath. "I shouldn't have said that. But, just between you and me, Emily deserves better than Samara."

Paige chuckled nervously, intrigued by that statement. "Between you and me," she said, in a moment of candor, "I wish that I had met her before Samara came along, too." Spencer raised an eyebrow, and Paige raised her hand to stop that train of thought. "Don't worry, Spencer. I don't play that. I'm not out to break up anybody's good thing."

Paige could tell, from the few interactions that she had seen between the two of them, that Samara made Emily happy.

Spencer put a hand on Paige's shoulder and nodded in understanding. "But, I don't think that it's _good_ , Paige _._ Stable, maybe, but not good. And, believe me, after all the break-ups that Emily went through in high school, I can see why stable feels like a win. Seriously, Paige, if you're willing to stick it out..."

Paige laughed, raising her hands in front of her chest. "No thanks, Spence. That's a fool's game!"

* * *

Emily realized three things as she crossed the street. First, she realized that she was smiling. Second, she realized that she had checked out of the conversation. And, third, she realized the reason for the first two: Paige was holding her hand.

It was a nice day out; too nice, they had decided, to spend their Wednesday lunch indoors, so they headed out to the park. As Paige walked Emily back to The Brew, Emily got distracted watching two squirrels chasing each other. Paige grabbed her by the hand, saying, "Come on! You're going to be late for work!"

And, for some reason, she didn't let go.

Holding Paige's hand just felt good to Emily. It felt like being back in high school and realizing that you had feelings for someone. She felt short of breath. She felt excited and terrified. She felt the tips of each one of Paige's fingers where they touched the back of her hand, and the feeling was amazing. Intoxicating. Comfortable.

Emily had completely forgotten that holding hands could feel like that. And she and Samara held hands all the time.

Paige realized that Emily had stopped talking. Then, she realized why. It took her a second or so to figure out how she was going to let go of Emily's hand. She couldn't jerk her hand away, or Emily would infer that it had been more than just a casual gesture that just kept going. She couldn't give the gentle squeeze that signified, "Hey, we're going to let go, now," because that would imply that holding hands was part of their standard repertoire. The hand-holding would have to end as spontaneously as it had begun. Counting in her head, the way that she used to count when she was syncing her strokes in the pool, she released her grip with her left hand just as her right foot hit the ground.

The fact that Paige had to over-analyze how she was going let go of Emily's hand was a red-flag to her. She knew that she was allowing herself to get too close to Emily. Too close in her own mind, she meant. Even though Emily obviously didn't feel anything for her, Paige knew that she, herself, was walking down a dangerous road. She wasn't going to put herself in the position of pining for a woman who was involved with someone else. And she would never want to make Emily feel uncomfortable or awkward around her. She would have to step away from Emily. How far back and for how long, Paige wasn't sure. But she had to do something.

Emily sighed internally. It had felt good holding Paige's hand, and she had allowed herself to dream for a moment. But the reality was that she and Samara were together, and that Paige was just a friend. A good friend, Emily thought, as she reached over and gave Paige's hand a quick, friendly squeeze.

Paige looked over at Emily and returned the smile that Emily was giving her, as her heart broke a little over the fact that Emily could squeeze her hand so casually. If Paige needed any more proof that it was useless for her to pine for Emily, that was it. Emily obviously didn't have any qualms that she would be sending the wrong signal by squeezing Paige's hand. Emily probably would have been shocked to know the effect that she was having on Paige. Emily probably thought of her like a sister.

* * *

"So, how's your girlfriend?" Hanna asked, teasing, as she and Emily drove into Philadelphia. They had decided to do something a little different for their Saturday date. Emily had been feeling restless.

"She's good," Emily said, smiling uneasily.

"And, by 'your girlfriend,' of course, I mean Paige," Hanna said, turning towards Emily and wiggling her eyebrows.

"Shut up, Hanna," Emily laughed, swatting her on the shoulder.

"I'm just saying, Em. You talk about her way more than you talk about Sam. Why do you think that is?"

"Uh, 'cause you know all about Samara, Hanna," Emily said, as if stating the obvious.

Hanna rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Whatever. So, tell me all about Paige, then."

Emily sighed. "We've got to find her a girlfriend."

"Uh huh. We have to, huh?"

"Yeah, Han. She's such a great girl. It's a sin that she's still single."

"And why is this _your_ mission?"

"Because! She's my friend! I care about her."

"Uh huh." Hanna huffed. "Are you sure that you don't just want to get her off the market so that you're not tempted?"

"Hanna! I'm with Samara!" Emily whispered that sentence, even though there was no one else in the car to overhear.

"But if you weren't?" Emily remained silent. "Oh, come on, Emily! Why are you so afraid to admit that you like Paige?"

"Because I'm with Samara, Hanna!" Emily allowed her anger to show through.

"Listen, Em," Hanna said, softening her tone and reaching out for Emily's thigh, "I'm not one of the Samara-haters, but..."

"Who hates on Samara?" Hanna turned to Emily with a frown. "No," Emily persisted, "I want to know!"

"Emily, we all just want the best for you. And, let's face it, Samara is a little..."

"A little what? Reliable? Trustworthy? Faithful?"

"Emily..."

"What, Hanna?" Emily was really starting to get annoyed. Why was everyone talking about her love life? "Look, you know my history with women. So, now that I've found someone who'll stick by me, why can't everyone just be happy for me?"

Hanna raised a hand in surrender, but she had one parting shot. "Are _you_ happy, though?"

"I can fix it!" Emily practically screamed. "Aren't you the one who told me that I should fix it? I don't want to be the girl that I was in high school anymore. I want to work on my relationship!" Before they knew what was happening, Emily was crying, fighting for air.

"Hey, hey! Of course you can fix it, Em!" Hanna reached for Emily's arm in an attempt to calm her. "Shit. I'm sorry. Samara's good. You're right. And, really, we're all happy for you."

Emily shook off Hanna's hand. "Hanna, can you, please, just take me home? I just want to go home."

Hanna checked the traffic behind her and found a spot to pull over onto the shoulder. She unbuckled her seat belt and gathered Emily in for a hug. They stayed that way until Emily's breathing went back to normal. "Let's start over, okay, Em?" Hanna offered, brushing her fingers through Emily's hair. "Let's just have fun in the City and forget all about men. I mean women. Oh, you know what I mean!"

Emily laughed and nodded her head. Forgetting everything sounded like a pretty good idea.

Before she pulled back into traffic, Hanna reached into her glove compartment and handed Emily some tissues. She pulled down the visor on Emily's side, indicating that Emily needed to check her face in the mirror.


	6. Brunch in Philly

Once Emily and Hanna made it into Philadelphia for their brunch date, the search for parking was on. Emily was supposed to be keeping an eye out for open spots, but she always got distracted by the tall buildings. As they waited at a light on 19th Street, Emily was craning her neck at the side window in an effort to see to the top of a building on Market Street. "I wonder whether Paige works in one of these buildings," she said softly, not wanting to get Hanna started again. But Hanna had learned her lesson. She had decided to cool it on the Paige talk - for the moment.

Emily was jerked from her architectural musings when Hanna jumped on the horn at a pedestrian in the crosswalk. The pedestrian didn't look over at her, but simply gestured toward the traffic light, to point out that she had the right of way. So, Hanna blared her horn again, and the pedestrian glared at her, her expression softening once she saw who was in the car.

Hanna unlocked the doors and rolled down her window. "Hey, _Paigey_!" she cooed. "Get in!"

The light was about to change, and Paige knew how impatient Philadelphia drivers could be, so she didn't argue, but just quickly hopped in the back seat behind Hanna.

As soon as Emily heard Paige's name, she turned quickly forward and placed her hands in her lap, like a kid who'd been caught texting in high school algebra. Hanna noticed, but she knew better than to comment. She just smiled to herself.

"What are you doing in Philly?" Hanna asked, turning her smile towards Paige's reflection in the rear-view mirror.

"I just came in to catch up on some things at the office."

"I was just wondering where you worked," Emily admitted, glancing over at Hanna, who confirmed it with a nod.

"18th and Walnut," Paige said.

"We'll drop you off!" Hanna said. "So where did you park?" she wondered.

"I parked in my building," Paige answered, "and, thanks, but, actually, I was just on my way out for some coffee."

"Isn't there a Starbucks in the Barnes & Noble right there?" Hanna asked, with another glance at Paige in the mirror.

"Yeah, but it's always crowded. And, besides, I felt like a walk," Paige shrugged. "It's so nice out."

"We'll, we're on our way to brunch. Do you want to come with us?" Emily smiled to herself, happy that Hanna had asked.

"Actually, that sounds nice. If you don't mind me crashing."

"No, not at all!" Emily said, turning in her seat so that she could see Paige. "I mean, if you're not too busy. There's no telling how long it'll take us to find parking!"

"Well, if you want to head up to Callowhill, we could take our chances at Sabrina's. It should be easier to find parking up there, but who knows how long the wait for a table is?"

"God - I haven't had brunch at Sabrina's since I was a kid!" Hanna oozed, smiling at Emily, who was smiling back.

"You like the brunch at Sabrina's?" Emily asked Paige.

"Well, I've never actually had it. We go there for lunch sometimes, some of the guys from work. They told me not even to think about trying to get a table on a Saturday, but, if you two are game…"

"We've got time if you've got time!" Emily affirmed.

* * *

"Wow!" Paige said, when they rounded the corner and saw the line – "mob" was a more accurate term – outside of Sabrina's. "Are you guys sure that you're all right with this?"

"We don't mind the wait," Hanna assured her. She pulled into a parking spot and they headed toward the line.

"But if you need to get to work…" Emily said.

"Those reports will wait!" Paige interrupted enthusiastically. "It's a nice day, and waiting isn't so bad with good company, so…"

Hanna nudged Emily in the side and mouthed the words, "good company," wiggling her head suggestively. Emily shot her a warning glare. Hanna grabbed Emily by the hand and asked, "Paige, would you watch our place in line for a sec? We're just going to run into the 7-11."

As Emily, helpless, was pulled along by Hanna, she gave Paige an apologetic look, shrugging her shoulders and and scrunching her nose sympathetically as she mouthed the word, "Sorry." Once they were across the street and inside the store, she jerked her hand away, yelling, "Hanna! _Rude_!"

"What? Paige just said that she doesn't mind waiting."

"She said that she doesn't mind waiting _with company_ , and then you left her there by herself!" As confident as Paige often appeared, Emily knew that her friend didn't do well by herself in a crowd.

"Whatever. We need to talk about this sexual tension between the two of you."

Emily's eyes widened in shock, and she gently tilted her head in the direction of the kid standing behind the counter, whose morning had just become a whole lot more interesting thanks to the two attractive strangers who had chosen his store for their conversation. Hanna raised her eyebrows and leaned her head into him menacingly. He suddenly became very busy organizing the gum and candy in front of the counter.

Hanna pulled Emily to a far corner of the store and lowered her voice. "When are you going to be honest with yourself about Samara?"

Emily's expression changed immediately. She thought that she had made it clear to Hanna that she didn't want to hear any more bad-talk about Samara. She was expecting Hanna to call her out on her inappropriate feelings for Paige. And she would have told her that Paige was just a friend. At worst, Paige was an idle fantasy. Emily would never cheat on Samara, or even let her – fantasy? escapism? flights of fancy? – get out of hand.

"Hanna," Emily said patiently but definitively, "Samara and I are solid. You know that. Why can't you just let it go?"

Hanna couldn't hold back any longer. "Because she never does anything with you. And when you two are together, she seems to be bored, like, just putting in time with you. But Paige – you have so much fun when you're with her. You both do. You guys just, I don't know, click. You know what I'm talking about!"

"Okay, those are two separate things. Whatever you think about my _friendship_ with Paige, it doesn't have any bearing on my _relationship_ with Samara. So, which do you want to talk about Hanna? Samara or Paige?"

"Ugh! Neither. Forget it. Let's just get back to Paige. It's obvious that your head's too far up your ass for you to be straight with yourself anyway." After a moment, she added, the irritation apparent in her tone, "No pun intended."

Emily tried to keep her mouth shut, but a laugh forced its way through. She put her arm around Hanna's shoulder and they headed back to the restaurant. Had it been anyone else who had called her out like that, she would have been insulted and stayed on the defensive. With Hanna, she could take it in stride. And she would have to give Hanna's words some serious consideration, later. She knew that Hanna was a keen observer of relationships.

* * *

The line outside Sabrina's hadn't moved too much, if at all, by the time Hanna and Emily got back to Paige. Paige looked relieved to see them. Their conversation was light until there was a lull, which Hanna decided to fill by saying, "So, _Paigey_ , Emily was telling me that we have to find you a girlfriend!"

Emily gasped, open-mouthed, at Hanna. She couldn't believe that Hanna had gone there. Hanna glared at Emily, not backing down. _Fuck it,_ she thought. _If Emily wants to pretend that she doesn't have any feelings for Paige, then let's see how she reacts when shit starts to get real._

Paige shook her head and smiled. She had already been tipped off by Spencer that Emily was on a mission to find her a girl, so she was able to roll with Hanna's comment.

"So, what kind of women are you interested in?" Emily, who had been looking at her shoes in embarrassment, suddenly looked up at Paige, quickly looking away, hoping that she hadn't made it too obvious that she was eager to find out what Paige's type was.

"Oh, Hanna," Paige laughed, "we're not doing this out here on Callowhill, in the line for Sabrina's, for Pete's sake!"

"Fine, okay, whatever," Hanna said mockingly as she threw hands up in front of her face. "But as soon as we get a table, we're doing it. No excuses."

Hanna, for the first time, was impatient to get seated. Soon enough, their turn came, and Hanna waited until they placed their orders and got rid of their menus, so that Paige couldn't say that she needed time to figure out what she was going to eat before she could answer. "All right, Paige. Spill. What kind of woman are you looking for?"

Paige had to collect herself for a moment. She wasn't used to being that direct about her love life. "I… Who said that I was looking for a woman?"

"Do you like girls?"

"Yes, but…"

"Are you single?"

"Yes, but…"

"Do you want to stay single?"

"No, but…"

"So quit stalling!"

"Hanna!" Emily interjected, scolding Hanna with a sharp glare. It slowed Hanna just enough to give Paige a chance to collect her thoughts.

"Look, as much as I appreciate your… zeal for finding me a woman, that's not how I operate. I've just found that it's better to let things happen. I'll know what I'm looking for when I find it. Until then, I'm just enjoying my life as it is."

"Yeah," Hanna said sarcastically, "How's _that_ working out for you?"

"Hanna..." Emily warned.

"Fine, whatever!" Hanna said, holding her hands up in surrender "Changing the subject…"

"So, you work right off of Rittenhouse," Emily asked, to take the conversation in another direction.

"Yep," Paige confirmed with a smile. "Eight stories above Rittenhouse, actually."

"So, you must have a great view of Rittenhouse Square. I imagine it's distracting," Hanna speculated.

"For my boss, maybe," Paige chuckled. "I have a tiny little cubicle in the bullpen." She used her thumb and her forefinger to indicate how small it was. "I only have a view of Rittenhouse when my boss calls me in."

"I want to see!" Hanna said, sitting up in her chair as her enthusiasm bubbled over. Emily could have hugged her. She wanted nothing more than to see Paige's office, at that moment – what pictures she had on the walls, what knickknacks she had on the desktop, what sweater she draped over the back of her chair – but it would've been too weird for her to ask. Never before had she been more appreciative of Hanna's lack of a filter.

"There's nothing to see," Paige assured her.

" _Paigey_!" Hanna whined.

"Why is this so important to you?" Paige asked, smiling nervously. She loooked over to Emily for support.

"Actually," Emily shrugged, "I wouldn't mind seeing it myself." She immediately shifted her gaze down to her utensils and lined them up, trying to be casual about what she had just admitted.

"Fine," Paige said melodramatically, rolling her eyes and shaking her hands next to her face, "We can go see my office. I'll give you the grand tour!" Saying no to Hanna was one thing. Saying no to Emily was almost impossible.

"Yay!" Hanna said, posting up her hand for a high-five. When it didn't come, she high-fived herself.

* * *

Paige hadn't been exaggerating. Her cubicle _was_ tiny. _Cozy_ , Emily preferred to think. There was barely enough room to back the chair away from the desk without hitting the rear partition. Emily wondered why they even bothered to put partitions around it.

Paige had tacked up a couple of post cards from museums, each of them showing paintings that were blocks of color overlapping into each other. Hanna tugged at the cards, to see who had sent them to Paige – and whether or not they were signed with hearts – but they were blank. Paige had bought them because she liked the juxtaposition of the colors. It didn't even occur to her that Hanna would think that someone had mailed them to her, so she volunteered the answer that she thought Hanna was seeking: "They're Rothkos," she explained. "I saw them at the Guggenheim a couple of summers ago."

Paige followed Emily's eyes as they continued to make their way around the four walls. "Oops!" she said, quickly grabbing a sheet of paper from the corner of her desk and hiding it behind her back. Hanna was right there, though, and she grabbed it with a smile, eagerly sharing it with Emily.

It was just a picture of the three of them and Spencer, slightly tipsy, from that night at The Suds, that Paige had downloaded from Aria's Instagram. There wasn't anything suspicious about the fact that Paige had printed the picture out and that she had it out on top of her desk. No one would have thought twice about it if she hadn't been so quick to try to hide it.

"Well," Emily said, smiling as she patted Paige's shoulder, "we'd better get going before we uncover any more dark secrets!" Paige could feel the blush rising from her neck up to her cheeks.

"Wait!" Hanna blurted out. "I didn't get to see the view of Rittenhouse!" As Emily and Paige frantically called after her, she made a dash for the row of offices against the wall.

"Hanna," Paige said, when she caught up to her, "that's where the bosses sit." She was speaking calmly, like a police psychologist trying to talk down a jumper.

"Oh, I'm not going to touch anything," Hanna said dismissively. "I just want to look." She tried the door, which, to Paige's great relief, was locked. "Well, one of these has got to be open!" she said, undeterred. "You try that way, and I'll try this way." Paige just stood there, looking to Emily for help. Meanwhile, Hanna found an unlocked door. "Whoa!" they heard her say. Paige and Emily went in after her. As long as they were there, Emily decided that she might as well look around. Hanna threw her arm around Paige's shoulder. "We've got to get _you_ this office, girl!"

"That's the plan," Paige said, smiling and making the best of the situation.

When Hanna started to get a little too cozy in the massive leather chair, Emily intervened. "All right, Hanna. We've given Paige enough grief for today. Come on. She needs to get to work," she said with a wink at Paige.

"Bye, Paigey!" Hanna yelled as Emily dragged her toward the exit. "We should do this again!"

Paige laughed. "I... actually wouldn't mind that," she said with a light laugh, but she wasn't sure that Hanna heard.

* * *

"Ooh! Paige McCreeper! Stalking you on Instagram," Hanna teased, as she and Emily walked back to the car.

Emily laughed. "It's a great picture, Hanna. I'm not surprised that she printed it out."

"Neither am I. But why was she acting so guilty about it?" Hanna asked, her voice dripping with insinuation.

"She was just embarrassed. She barely knows us…"

"Yeah, and yet she has your picture on her desk!"

"Whatever Hanna! She had your picture, too. And Spencer's."

"I wonder what picture she has on her nightstand," Hanna said, with a teasing lilt. "Next to her _bed_."

"God, I know what picture I want next to _my_ bed," Emily mumbled under her breath, her mind flashing to the field hockey picture from Paige's facebook.

"Huh?" Hanna didn't quite hear.

"What?" Emily played innocent.

"Anyway," Hanna shook her head and got back to her point. "Don't think I didn't notice the way that she melted when you touched her shoulder!" Hanna rubbed Emily's shoulder and made a kissy-face for effect.

"Stop acting so high school, Hanna!" Emily switched to a mocking tone. "'Ooh, you touched her shoulder. You must LOVVVVVVE her!'" Emily made kissing noises near Hanna's cheek.

Hanna shoved her off. "You're the one who's acting high school, Emily." Hanna mocked right back, "'I don't love her. I don't even care about her. Girls? Eww!'"

"Okay, fine, Hanna. She's sweet. And fun. And I enjoy spending time with her. I admit it. Are you happy?"

"Praise the Lord!" Hanna yelled, casting her palms and her eyes up to the skies.

"But we're JUST FRIENDS! And I'm WITH SAMARA. Got it?"

"Got it!" Hanna said, her enthusiasm undimmed. "I'll take it!" she added. She was glad that, at least, Emily was starting to admit to herself that she had feelings – however much she still felt the need to downplay them – for Paige.


	7. Spicing Things Up

Emily spent a lot of time choosing her outfit before she headed over to Samara's place. Maybe her mom was right; maybe Emily just needed to add some spice to their relationship. Her thoughts kept going back to holding hands with Paige as they crossed the street. It was almost as if she could still feel the contact points of her hand in Paige's. She really wanted to feel that electricity again with Samara. _Time to give that old car a jump-start,_ she thought.

Once Emily had settled on an outfit, she checked herself from several angles, striking a series of quick poses in the mirror. She had chosen a short white halter dress that sizzled against her dark skin. She let her hair fall in gentle curls over both of her shoulders, with a smoky, evening look to her make up. A braided chain swung low from her neckline, drawing the eyes there. She had to admit it: She looked pretty hot.

She had to admit it, because she was pretty sure that Samara wouldn't say anything. She took a quick selfie and texted it to Hanna, asking, "Hot or Not?"

 **Hanna M.: Whoa! Hot! Definitely hot! :D**

 **Emily F.: Thanks, Hanna. 3**

 **Hanna M.** : **You are so going to drive Paige crazy!**

 **Emily F.: haha. So not funny.**

 **Hanna M.: Okay, well, who knows? Samara might even wake up when she sees you.**

Emily was going to reply, but she thought better of it. Why ruin her night before it even started? After a bit, Hanna texted again.

 **Hanna M: Have fun tonight, Em. You really do look hot.**

She included several emojis to make her point: Fire, kissing lips, and a variety of hearts.

* * *

"Hey!" Pam's voice sang out. "Looking good, there, Emmy!"

Emily screeched to a halt a couple of steps before she reached the door, her attempt at sneaking out before her mom saw how she was dressed having been foiled. She spun around, forcing a smile.

"Thanks, Mom," she said, resisting the urge to turn around and escape.

"Do you and Samara have something special planned?"

Emily sighed and looked at the ceiling. She could have lied, or given some vague, evasive answer, but she decided to spill. "No. We don't. I'm just doing what you suggested. You know. Spicing things up a little."

Pam gave Emily a hug and a weak smile. "Well, I hope that it works out," she said, kissing her daughter's temple. "Have a good time."

Emily thanked her mom and reached for the door. She stopped and turned around, her hand still on the knob. "Mom," she asked softly, "what do you think about Samara?"

Pam tightened her lips, with a vulnerable look in her eyes. "Do you really want to know?"

Emily nodded. This was important to her. She was really trying to figure things out.

"Well," Pam said, upbeat, "why don't you tell me how it goes tonight, and then I'll answer your question?" Pam didn't want to dim Emily's enthusiasm for her big night before the night even started. Maybe Samara would surprise her - would surprise both of them.

"Okay," Emily said with a hug, grateful that her mother was reserving judgment until after the date.

* * *

Samara greeted Emily at the door with a "Whoa!" Emily smiled demurely, biting her lip. "Did we have plans to go somewhere tonight?" Samara added.

"No," Emily shrugged, a bit deflated. "I just felt like getting dressed up."

"Oh, thank God," Samara said. "I mean, you look great," she thought to say, when she realized how she must've sounded.. "It's just been a really long day, you know?"

 _I don't look great, I look hot_ , Emily thought. _Too hot to stay in._ But, determined to make the best of the evening, she said, "That's fine. I just really wanted to cuddle on the couch and maybe watch a movie."

"That sounds perfect," Samara said, with genuine enthusiasm. "You pick something out. I'll go grab you a beer."

 _Beer and a movie,_ Emily thought, _I really am a cheap date!_ She laughed to herself, trying her best to stay cheerful. She slipped off her heels and settled in on the couch. After a while, she came up with a couple of options from Samara's Netflix queue and waited to talk them over with Samara. She checked her phone. She'd been looking at movie descriptions for over twenty minutes. "Sam?" she called out in the general direction of the kitchen.

"Be right there," Samara yelled from her study. _Great._ Emily realized that Samara had gotten caught up with her computer. She sighed and started making funny faces into her phone and texting the pictures to Hanna.

 **Hanna M.: Why are you texting pictures to me instead of sexting pictures to Paige?**

 **Emily F.: Bored. Samara's chained to her computer. Again. :/**

Emily could have whined and gotten Samara to come to the couch, but she didn't want to be like that. Instead, she decided to grab a couple of beers – because Samara obviously wasn't in a candlelight-and-wine kind of mood – and go see what Samara was up to.

Emily slid a beer bottle onto Samara's desk and wrapped her arms around Samara's neck, moving her face close to her girlfriend's. "Thanks," Samara said, not looking up from the report that she was typing.

"Sam," Emily couldn't help whine, "It's Friday night!"

"Oh, shit!" Samara said, coming to her senses. "I had no idea that I'd been at it this long. I'm so sorry, Emily."

Part of Emily just wanted to say, "Never mind," and head home. A larger part, though, really wanted to make things work with Samara – even if Samara, when she was at her best, was having a hard time measuring up to Paige, when Paige was just being herself.

But thinking about Paige wasn't going to get Emily anywhere.

"So," Emily said, cheerfully, "I couldn't decide. 'Gilda' – old classic, or 'Love and Basketball' – a little romance."

Samara shrugged nonchalantly, with a yawn. Both of the movies were in Samara's queue. Emily thought that she would have _some_ preference.

"Which would you prefer?" Emily prodded.

"Whatever you're in the mood for."

Emily didn't let Samara's detached response get to her. She just pressed on. "How about we start with 'Gilda?' But if it doesn't make the grade, we can switch to 'Love and Basketball.'"

"Sounds good, Babe. Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, actually."

"Well, I could whip something up, or we could order?"

"Let's order," Emily said. "That way, you can stay here next to me and we can start the movie."

Samara grabbed her phone from the counter in the kitchen and punched in a quick order to Domino's. Once the order was in, she sat down on the couch and extended her arm, beckoning Emily in. Emily smiled, curling her legs up on the couch, and started the movie.

Before long, she was pausing it when the doorbell rang. Samara got up and grabbed the pizza. When she got back to Emily, she pointed to her outfit. "That's probably not a good dress for pizza, is it? Do you want to grab something from my closet?"

Emily smiled and nodded. As she headed to the bedroom, she thought to herself, _No, it's not good for pizza, but it's perfect for dancing!_ But she wasn't going to give in to negativity. _Pizza tonight, dancing some other night_ , she hoped.

* * *

Emily woke up later that evening under a blanket, still on Samara's couch _._ The lamp on the corner table was supplying a dim glow to the room. The TV had been turned off, the pizza had been put away, and Emily could hear the faint tapping of keys from Samara's study. _Another perfect evening,_ she thought.

After a few moments of introspection, she decided to give up and call it a night. She gathered her shoes and folded the sweatshirt that she had borrowed from Samara's room. When she got to the door, she called out, "Sam! I'm going to head back home!"

She heard the chair roll away from Samara's desk. Samara trotted into the entryway and put her arms around Emily's neck. "I'm so sorry about tonight, Em," she said, sounding somewhat sincere. "It's just been a crazy week. I'll make it up to you, okay?"

Emily sighed. "Don't worry about it."

"No, I promise," Samara said, looking up into Emily's eyes, which were elevated by Emily's heels. She cupped Emily's cheek and gave her a gentle kiss. "Do you forgive me?"

Emily nodded. "I understand, Samara," she said flatly. "It's fine, really."

It really wasn't.

* * *

Samara closed the door behind Emily and collapsed against it, pinching the bridge of her nose. She had blown it again.

She went back to her office and picked up her glasses, but, rather than putting them back on, she just fiddled with them in her hands as she sat with one leg in her chair and the other on the floor, swiveling the chair slowly from side to side.

Anyone would have told Samara that she was lucky, and, of course, she would have admitted as much. Emily was beautiful, intelligent, loving, caring - all of those things. But, after a couple of years, there was a certain _sameness_ about her.

This is not to say that Samara had fallen out of love with Emily. Take a kid to Disney World for a week, and she'll be bouncing off the walls with excitement. Take that kid every week for a year and, sure, she'll still have fun, but not with that same wall-bouncing excitement.

Was Samara supposed to feel guilty because she was no longer head over heels?

Samara was content in the relationship, but she knew that Emily wanted more. And Samara wished that she could do more; give more; _be_ more, because Emily deserved more. Still, whenever they were together, they always seemed to fall back into the same pattern. And it wasn't Emily's fault. Samara knew that.

Deep down, Samara also knew that Emily was going to break up with her, sooner or later. This wasn't what she wanted, but she certainly couldn't blame Emily.

With a deep sigh, she centered her chair, put her glasses on, and got back to work.

* * *

Paige woke up on her couch and clicked the TV off. She had fallen asleep watching "The Twilight Zone" on Amazon. She wasn't sure how many episodes she had slept through, but it explained her crazy dreams. She hurriedly closed the cover on the pizza box that was on the coffee table before she jogged over to answer the doorbell.

(Yes, both Paige and Emily had fallen asleep on the couch in front of an open pizza box on a Friday night, with a black-and-white program on the TV.)

Emily had driven by Paige's place (which wasn't on the way home from Samara's) and noticed that the light was on. She drove by a couple more times before she mustered up enough courage to ring the doorbell. She just really wanted some sort of affirmation for the way that she looked that night. She sat in the driveway for a few seconds, redoing her make-up, before she went to the door.

No sooner had she rung the doorbell than she realized what a mistake it was. It was wrong for her to play games like that with Paige, just because she was feeling needy.

Paige stumbled to the door in a baggy pair of sage-green sweatpants topped with a white, spaghetti strapped shirt that ended just below her navel. Her arms were crossed at her waist, and her eyes looked as if the light in the hall were her worst enemy.

The sight of Emily on the other side of the door hit her like twelve cups of espresso. Her eyes came to life immediately. "Whoa, Emily! You look fantastic!"

"Thanks," Emily said, shyly looking down at her shoes. "I was driving home, and I saw that your light was on, so I thought I'd say 'hi,'" she explained, realizing how transparent that sounded.

Paige leaned her head against the open door which she was still holding with her left hand. Emily purposely focused on Paige's eyes, rather than on the way that Paige's well-toned arm was stretched out, or the way that her shirt rode up with her arm extended. And, in Paige's eyes, she saw fatigue.

"I'm so sorry," she said, reaching out to touch Paige's right shoulder. "It's late. I shouldn't have rung your bell!" she added, backing away.

"No, it's fine," Paige assured her, not just to be polite. "I fell asleep in front of the TV. It's not that late." Actually Paige had no idea what time it was. She only knew that it was too early to let Emily leave. "Do you want to come in?"

"Well, just for a second," Emily said, reaching for Paige's shoulder again, apologetically.

Paige led the way to the kitchen and pulled out a couple of coffee mugs. "So, it looks as if you and Samara had a fun night?"

Emily nodded. "Dinner and a show," she said, not feeling that she was stretching the truth too much.

Paige pulled out some milk from the refrigerator and started steaming it. "No way," Emily gushed, "You got a cappuccino maker?"

"E-Bay special," Paige said, adding, with a smirk, "I mean, I wanted to spoil myself, but let's get serious!"

"Mmm! I love that smell," Emily said, when the coffee began to grind.

"So, what did you guys see?" Paige asked.

 _Shit!_ Emily hadn't prepared an answer. "We saw 'Gilda?'" She said the name as a question, not sure that Paige was familiar with it. "It's an old movie from the forties," she explained, after Paige shrugged. "There's a theater in Philadelphia which plays old films." Emily complimented herself on not having lied to Paige. She and Samara _had_ watched 'Gilda,' and there _is_ a theater in Philadelphia which plays old films. "You should come with us sometime," she suggested enthusiastically, not really having thought it through.

Paige laughed at the suggestion. When Emily looked at her funny, she said, "Oh, sorry. I just…" _couldn't think of a worse torture than tagging along with you and your girlfriend in a dark, intimate theater._ "wouldn't want to be a third wheel."

Emily found Paige's shoulder with her hand. Again. She wondered why she felt so compelled to touch it, other than the obvious reasons. _Samara would be the third wheel_ , Emily thought, but, to her great relief, she caught herself before she said that out loud.

"Besides," Paige said, as Emily took the mug that Paige was holding out to her and sat down, "I don't think I could pass the dress co-" Paige's brain stopped when Emily crossed one leg over the other and puckered her red lips at the coffee cup. Paige almost dropped her own cup, and Emily noticed a slight tremble in Paige's hands as she sat across from Emily. Paige had both hands wrapped tight around her mug, in hopes of stabilizing the mug as well as herself.

Emily's mind flashed back to Hanna's prediction that she would drive Paige crazy with that dress. She felt guilty for showing up on Paige's doorstep looking like that. It was a cruel thing to do to Paige - the woman who had confessed that she wanted a relationship, and who had all but admitted that she was attracted to Emily - just because Emily wanted to feel better about herself. But, Emily was stuck there at that point, having to finish her cappuccino. The conversation wasn't flowing as readily as it did during their Wednesday lunches. This was probably because Emily was having a harder time convincing herself that her visit was completely innocent, especially whenever Paige moved, accentuating her collar bone under the straps of her top.

Paige's eyes kept falling to Emily's red lips and to the imprint that they had left on her mug. Even though the evening was awkward, even though it was late, and even though she felt like a hobo sharing a table with royalty, she was in no hurry to see the night end. This, she realized, would be one of her last opportunities to spend time with Emily, and she was going to enjoy it for as long as it lasted.


	8. Moving On

"Someone's chipper!" Emily said, her smile mirroring Paige's as she settled in to their regular table for their Wednesday lunch.

"I just got great news," Paige said, her eyes sparkling.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. My boss called me this morning. I got chosen for an internship in the firm's San Francisco offices!"

"Wow! That's great! California!" Emily said, getting up to hug Paige. "How long is the internship?"

"Anywhere from six months to… thirty years," Paige replied enthusiastically. Emily wrinkled her eyebrows. "If they like me, they might take me on permanently. It's a great opportunity – once in a lifetime."

A little bit of life drained out of Emily at that point. She was happy for Paige, and she listened eagerly as Paige recounted all of the details. But Emily wasn't ready to lose her good friend. She could handle six months, but something in her gut told her that Paige was leaving for good.

* * *

After lunch with Paige, Emily went down to the break room swiped in Samara's number. She changed her mind before she hit the "call" button, though. Samara was always so grumpy and curt when Emily called her at the office. She decided to text instead.

 **Emily: Hey. Busy?**

 **Samara: Always. :)**

 **Emily: Just found out that Paige is moving to SF.**

 **Samara: Aw - good for her.**

Emily stared at the reply. _Did Samara really not get it?_

After a second, Samara realized why Emily had texted her this news.

 **Samara: Sad for you, though - you guys were good friends.**

 **Emily: Yeah.**

 _Ask me whether or not I'm okay._

 **Emily: Miss her already. :(**

 **Samara: *hug***

 _Invite me over. I don't want to be alone tonight_. _  
_

 **Emily: What are you doing tonight?**

 _Ask me to stay over. So that I don't have to be alone tonight._

 **Samara: Probably catching up on some on-line training. You?**

 _Don't you get what I'm saying?_

 **Emily: Nothing. :(**

 _Unless you were going to ask me something?_ **  
**

 **Samara: :(**

Emily resisted the strong urge to throw her phone onto the floor. She let out a loud groan, happy that she had texted rather than called, so that her co-workers were the only ones who heard her frustration.

 **Emily: Okay, then. I'll see you.  
**

 **Samara: See you. Give Paige my congrats!**

* * *

"Anyway," Emily said as she lay on her back, "I just really didn't want to be alone tonight. And I don't get why Sam didn't get that."

"Do you want me to come over?" Aria asked sympathetically.

Emily sighed. "That's okay, Aria."

"Well, do you want to meet somewhere?"

"No, I'm okay. Thanks, though. It means a lot that you offered." Emily huffed. "And why didn't Samara offer? She's supposed to be my girlfriend. Shouldn't she get that?"

Emily was on the verge of crying, but she couldn't tell whether the impending tears were over her relationship with Samara or over the fact that Paige was leaving.

"So, what are you going to do?"

Emily heard herself sigh again as she shifted over to her side, curling her legs almost into the fetal position. "I don't know, Aria. Samara and I will work it out. We always do."

"Have you told Hanna?"

"Ugh." Emily let out a deep breath, trying not to cry. "I just can't with Hanna right now." Her voice broke when she added, "You know what she's going to say."

Aria waited in silence before she spoke, "You know that you're not the same, Emily."

"Not the same as what?"

"You're not the same girl that you were in high school."

"I know that, Aria." Emily returned to lying on her back, twisting her legs from side to side.

"You don't have to stick it out with Sam because you're afraid of being who you were back then." Aria said this calmly; as an encouragement, not an accusation. This was why Emily had called Aria. Hanna was good at kicking Emily's butt, but Aria knew when to rub Emily's back.

The line was silent as Emily examined herself, wondering whether Aria was right, and she was just holding on to Samara to prove that she had changed. "I don't know, Aria. I still think that we can make things work."

Aria sighed. "So, what are you going to do about Paige?"

"I don't _know_ , Aria," Emily pleaded. Aria could hear the sobbing on the other end of the line. "What _can_ I do?"

"Sit tight, Em," Aria said steadily. "I'm coming over."

Aria didn't have any answers, but, if Emily was going to cry, she wasn't going to cry alone.

* * *

Pam knocked softly on Emily's door before pushing it open a bit. She had heard Emily get emotional on the phone with Aria, although she didn't hear what was being said. "Emmy?" she said tentatively. "May I come in?"

Emily quickly sat up on the bed, using the heel of her right hand to wipe the tears away. It was useless, she knew. Her mom would be able to tell that she had been crying, anyway. In a soft voice, she told her mother that she could come in.

Pam sat next to Emily, folding her hands in her lap the way that Emily's hands were folded in her own lap. They sat in silence for a long time, both looking straight ahead, Emily occasionally wiping at her eyes with her palm.

After a bit, still without looking at her daughter, Pam said softly, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Paige is moving to California," Emily said, staring at her hands as she fidgeted with her fingers.

"Oh, Honey," Pam said. She reached her arm around Emily's shoulder and pulled Emily in from the side. Emily turned, hugging her mom around the back and crying onto her shoulder. She was grateful, at least, to be able to get it out of her system before Aria got there.

Pam rubbed Emily's back until the sobbing stopped. Emily pulled away and let out a shaky breath as she rubbed her palms against her eyes.

"Honey," Pam said tentatively, "do you remember when I told you that you should try shaking things up with Samara?"

Emily rolled her eyes, looking off to the side, unable to believe that her mom was going to give her a pep talk about Samara right then.

Pam rubbed her daughter's back to soothe her. "Don't you think that, maybe, the universe is shaking things for you? You know, pushing you to make a decision?"

Emily didn't answer. She just leaned her head on her mother's shoulder and exhaled deeply as she contemplated Pam's words.

"Emmy, you once asked me what I thought of Sam, and I said that I was going to wait before I answered." Emily nodded into her mother's shoulder. "Do you still want to know?" Emily sat up, looking into her mother's eyes and nodding. "Well, I think," Pam said slowly and carefully, "that people come into our lives for a time, and for a purpose. Even Ben" (she said the name with disdain) "was in our lives for a reason." Emily leaned back into her mother's shoulder. "Honey, Samara is in your life for a reason. But I don't think she's in your life for forever."

They sat in silence, broken only when Emily sighed from time to time, until the doorbell rang. Pam placed a kiss on the top of her daughter's head. "I'll get that," she said, patting Emily's thigh before she headed downstairs to let Aria in. She made a point of engaging Aria in some small-talk in the foyer, giving Emily time to collect herself.

* * *

Paige and Emily had only a handful of Wednesday lunches left before Paige's big move out west. They were pleasant and jovial as usual, but with a patina of sadness - almost dread - around the edges. There were so many times when Emily wanted to ask Paige not to go, or to take her with her, or just to run away with her and forget all about jobs and school. She actually almost said it out loud, once, planning to play it off as a joke. But it wasn't fair to Paige, and it wasn't fair to her. They both needed to be happy about Paige's wonderful opportunity.

Emily spent an evening researching summer teaching internships in San Francisco. It was just an escape for her mind. Of course, she would never actually apply for anything out west. Her family was in Rosewood. Her friends were in Rosewood. Her girlfriend was in Rosewood. And she loved Samara, she convinced herself. Whatever it was, she certainly wasn't going to go back to her high school ways of speed-dating her way through the catalog of eligible lesbians.

* * *

The Wednesdays dwindled down, and it wasn't long before Hanna was organizing Paige's going-away party. It was a bittersweet evening. It warmed Paige's heart to know that, in such a short time, she had made the kind of friends who would do something like this for her. As an only child, she had a tendency to be something of a loner. And, with her father's insistence that she focus on her grades and her sports, she had never had the time to develop a large circle of friends.

And, now that she had these wonderful girls in her life, she was moving to the other side of the country.

Paige looked across the table, where Emily was whispering something in Samara's ear, and Samara was smiling. Emily's fingers were resting lightly on Samara's shoulder as she leaned in to say whatever it was that Samara found so amusing. Part of Paige wanted to smile at the sight, and part of her wanted to cry.

This was why she had to leave Rosewood. It was just too hard to be around Emily as nothing more than a friend.

Paige excused herself and stepped away from the table. Emily assumed that Paige was going to the ladies' room, and she turned her head, following Paige's movement with a confused gaze, when she saw Paige head in the opposite direction. Emily got up to follow her, thinking that Paige was trying to make a quiet exit to avoid all the tearful good-byes.

Emily got to the front door, holding it open as she looked left and right to see where Paige had gone. She saw Paige's car and trotted over toward it, but she was stopped by the sound of Paige's voice. "Emily," she said simply.

Emily turned around to see Paige sitting on one of the benches where people sit while they wait for their names to be called on a busy night. She had her legs crossed at the ankles and her hands on either side of her knees, holding onto the bench. Emily's eyebrows, which were furrowed questioningly when she was wondering where Paige had gone, were now furrowed in concern. "Hey, are you all right?"

Paige nodded and moved her left hand out of the way as Emily sat down next to her. Emily clasped her hands together between her legs. Both of them were looking straight ahead as they talked. "I just needed some air," Paige said.

"Yeah," Emily acknowledged. The air _had_ been getting rather heavy in there. Emily decided to cheer Paige up. "So, this time tomorrow you'll be in California! Lucky dog!" she said, poking Paige with her elbow. Paige gave a perfunctory chuckle. Emily rubbed her hands together and stared at her palms, not knowing what to say. "I've always wanted to visit California," she finally said, barely audibly.

"I hope that you do," Paige replied, turning toward Emily with a sad smile.

"This is a really great opportunity for you, though."

Paige nodded.

"I just wish," Emily admitted, looking down at her fingers as she twisted them together, "that it could've been in Philly. Or New York. Or even DC."

Paige smiled. "I do, too," she lied. She could have applied for an internship closer to Rosewood, but leaving Rosewood behind was the whole point. There was another deathly silence before Paige said, "Well, we should probably get back inside, before they start to worry about us."

"No," Emily said, reaching for Paige's arm to stop her. "We don't have to rush. Take your time, Paige." With that, she linked their arms and gave Paige's bicep a sympathetic squeeze.

And that's when Paige broke down, unable to hold her emotions inside anymore. Emily rubbed her shoulder, but that was just making it worse. Emily pulled Paige in for a hug, and let her cry it out.

"I'm so sorry," Paige kept saying, as Emily shushed her.

"God - what the hell's wrong with me," Paige finally said, wiping her eyes on her knuckles. Paige was grateful that Emily wasn't getting all emotional. Little did she realize that comforting Paige was the only thing keeping Emily from losing it.

Paige's one consolation was that she had kept herself from drinking too much. If she hadn't, she might have done something foolish, like drunkenly kissing Emily. That, she realized, was probably the only thing that could have made the night any worse.

When Paige had collected herself, she and Emily walked back inside to face the others.

* * *

Emily took a slow walk through the winding streets to Paige's house. Her head was down, staring at the sidewalk beneath her, and her arms were folded in front of her. It was after midnight, and she would have felt safer in her car, with all the crazy things that had been known to happen after dark in Rosewood. She was walking, though, because she knew that it was a bad idea to go to Paige's house. Walking would give her more time to talk herself out of it.

She jogged up the three steps to Paige's porch and reached for the doorbell. She stopped herself just in time. _This is insane,_ she told herself. _Beyond insane. It's delusional_. She folded her arms in front of her again and took a deep breath. She reached for the doorbell again, but, again, she pulled back. She didn't know what she could even say to Paige. "Don't go?" "Stay with me?" "Because you're my friend?"

 _Insane._

Paige had made no secret of the fact that she was attracted to Emily, and that she wanted a relationship. Deep down, so deep that Emily wouldn't entertain the thought, Emily suspected that this was the reason that Paige decided leave Rosewood. So, how could she ask Paige to stay? To be with her _friend_?

 _Delusional._

Emily couldn't help feeling that, if only she had had more time, she could have found someone for Paige to date, and Paige wouldn't have had to leave Rosewood. She knew that it made no sense. She didn't want Paige to stay in Rosewood just to be her friend and to date someone else. But that thought was...

 _Insane._

And yet, Emily couldn't leave Paige's porch. She walked in circles for longer than she would have admitted, as if hoping that, by some twist of fate, Paige would show up at the door. Maybe she needed to check the mailbox one last time. Maybe she thought that she heard a noise. Maybe she wanted some air.

 _Delusional._

Emily let out a frustrated groan. Frustrated at how pathetic she was to show up at Paige's door, and at how cowardly she was not to ring the doorbell.

Her pace on the walk home was much faster.

* * *

Paige wasn't sure what it was that woke her when she should have been resting for her day of travel. She sat up in bed when she thought that she heard a noise at the front door. Without turning on the lights, she made her way downstairs and grabbed an umbrella. She had heard that Rosewood could be pretty dodgy after dark. She wasn't even sure why she was going down to open the door. She took a deep breath and wielded her umbrella, half expecting to see whom she actually saw standing on her porch:

Nobody.

She laughed to herself, and that helped her adrenaline levels go down. It wasn't just the thought that there might have been a burglar - or worse - that had made her so nervous. If she were honest, she was nervous that it might have been Emily. She would open the door, holding her umbrella menacingly, and she would scream, and Emily would scream, and Emily wouldn't ask why she was wielding an umbrella with malicious intent, and she wouldn't ask what Emily was doing on her porch after midnight. Instead, they would just laugh hysterically and maybe hug, and she would invite Emily in for a cup of something, and they would talk, and maybe she wouldn't have to go to California after all.

Paige put the point of the umbrella on the ground and leaned on its handle in the open doorway, with both hands holding the top of it. She breathed deeply of the Rosewood air. She had the sense that she was breathing Emily's air. She would have sworn that her nose was picking up the slightest hint of Emily's scent. _Crazy._

She chuckled to herself at the insane idea of getting a jar and capturing some of that Rosewood air to take with her out to California.

* * *

At the stop sign, a block away from Paige's house, something in Emily's gut begged her to turn around and try Paige's porch again. But Emily had already acted insane enough for one night, listening to her gut. She kept her head down and hurried back home.


	9. Saying Good-Bye

**A/N - Thank you, anyone who's still reading this fic after that last chapter... :(**

* * *

The trip to the airport was somber and mostly silent. Neither Emily nor Paige could have guessed that the other was also thinking about what had happened on Paige's porch in the first few minutes after midnight that morning.

"You look tired," Emily said, rubbing Paige's shoulder.

"I was up doing some last-minute packing." _Not lying awake in bed thinking about what - or whom - I was leaving behind._

"I was up late, too." Emily said, before it occurred to her that she had no excuse for having been up late. "And I didn't have the excuse of having to pack," she deflected with a laugh.

After a few more minutes of silence, Emily said, "Aria's brother still wants to pay you for the car."

"It's a loan, for now," Paige shrugged. "If I find out that the parking situation in San Fran isn't as bad as everybody says - or if I end up moving to the suburbs, I'll send for it." After another moment of silence, Paige added, "And who knows? They might not even like me! If they ship me back to Rosewood, I'm going to need the car back."

Emily laughed along with Paige. "They're going to want you." _Maybe not as much as I do, but that's a good thing._ Emily took some comfort in the fact that Paige viewed the arrangement as a loan. It helped her to cling to the irrational hope that Paige was coming back.

"You never got that dinner with my mom," Emily pointed out with a sad smile, which Paige returned. "She asked me to tell you, 'Best of luck.' Oh, and that, apparently, there's a large Filipino population in the San Francisco area." Emily smiled weakly.

Paige managed to catch herself before she said, "Maybe I'll meet someone" out loud, but that's what she thought. It wasn't that she had hopes of finding another Emily Fields, of course. But Emily had definitely given her an appreciation for Filipinas.

Emily sighed internally and opened her mouth several times only to close it again, hoping that Paige didn't notice that she was doing it. She finally mustered up the courage to say, "Paige," but she stopped herself before she went any further.

"What is it, Em?" Paige asked, once she realized that Emily wasn't going to finish her sentence.

Emily waved her off, shaking her head. "It's nothing. It was stupid. I'm sorry."

She had almost asked Paige, " _Do you really have to go to California?_ "

Emily had reached the point of admitting to herself that she was going to have to have a talk - _the_ talk - with Samara. But, even so, it wouldn't have been fair to ask Paige that question when they were on the way to the airport. That's how it goes down in those cheesy romance movies that she watched with her mom on the Hallmark channel. But Paige was a real person with a real opportunity ahead of her. Emily couldn't ask her to make that kind of life-altering decision on such short notice.

"Uh uh, Emily! Remember?" Paige teased, smiling as she wagged her finger at Emily. She thought back to the night that she walked Emily home after they and the girls met at The Suds, and Emily insisted that Paige tell her what her wish was. "You can't just say something like that and let it drop," she parroted.

Emily sighed. "I was just going to ask you whether or not you had your tickets. It's stupid. I mean, _of course_ you do. It's just, that's what my Mom always asks my Dad whenever he travels, and, of course, he always has them." _Oh God!_ Emily thought over what she had just said. _Not that I think of you as my spouse!_ She kicked herself for having come up with that question as her cover story. Even so, it was better than telling Paige what she had actually almost asked.

"Ooh, you know what?" The question sent Paige into a panic; so much so that she didn't even make the connection that Emily was fretting over. She started rummaging through her backpack, hoping that she actually _had_ forgotten the tickets. Maybe she would miss her flight. She knew that it wouldn't be any easier to say good-bye the next day, but at least she would have that one more day in Rosewood. Another day to pretend that she wouldn't be saying good-bye to Emily for the last time. Another day to hope for an excuse not to leave.

But the tickets were there, and the trip was still on.

The good-byes at the airport were tearful and huggy, with promises to keep in touch. "You'd better come visit me out west!" Paige called, as she headed through the winding line to the security checkpoint. Emily stood as close as she was allowed and watched until Paige was out of view. She needed that time to collect herself, or she would have been in no condition for the drive back to Rosewood.

* * *

Emily and Samara didn't last long after Paige left. Emily, having lost the weekly light of her lunch dates with Paige, realized just how lonely her life with Samara was. There was no fix in sight, so Emily decided that she was better off on her own.

The actual break-up ended up being short and, surprisingly, sweet. There was no bitterness, and there were no harsh words. They both knew that it was coming. But there were tears. Lots of them. Samara broke first. Emily's tears were just as genuine. They held each other, crying on each other's shoulders, for a long time. And that was it. They didn't promise to stay friends or wish each other a nice life. Emily walked out to her car and drove home.

When she got home, she headed straight to her room, yelling a greeting down the hall to her mom. She would have to talk to her mom later, but there was someone else whom she wanted to talk to first. She sat on her bed with her head tilted back, willing the tears away. When she felt somewhat in control of her emotions, she scrolled through her contacts to a picture of her father and pushed "Call."

Wayne Fields greeted her cautiously, as if he knew that something was up. He had kept in touch with his daughter's relationship as best as he could while he was miles away in Texas, so he wasn't surprised when Emily gave him the news.

He was always the first person whom she talked to about her break-ups.

Wayne knew better than to remind her that it was the right thing to do or to assure her that things would get better. He just stayed on the phone with her and mourned with her. He let her work through everything that she was thinking, to help her prepare herself for the millions of questions that everyone else would ask her. He, himself, had only one question, which he asked when he sensed that she had talked herself out.

"Sweetheart, are you okay?"

Emily sighed. "I'm better, Daddy. I will be"

"I'll come out there when I can."

"I know, Daddy. I'm all right." She took a couple of deep breaths. "Thanks, Dad."

"Call me anytime, okay?" he said. "I love you, Emmy."

"I love you, too," Emily said. "Good night."

Emily set the phone down, rubbed her hands together, and walked to her mom's room.

"Mom?"

Pam stood up, wringing her hands. "Did you talk to your father?" Emily nodded. "I'm so sorry, Emmy." Pam walked over and wrapped her arms tight around Emily. And the tears began.

* * *

Breaking up with Samara was the right thing to do, but that didn't make it any easier. In the early days, Emily often found herself lying in bed, crying into her phone to Hanna or Aria, who, of course, responded like great friends with a sympathetic ear. Spencer and Pam rallied around her, as well. But no one other than Hanna could pull Emily out of herself when she was at her lowest, even if the boost from her conversations with Hanna didn't last long.

During one of their marathon phone sessions, Emily's phone buzzed, signalling another incoming call, and she held the phone up to see who was calling.

"Oh, shit! Hanna! I've got to go!' Emily hung up with no further explanation. She needed a moment to compose herself before she could take the second call. After several quick, deep breaths, she managed to smile as she spoke into the phone, "Paige!"

"Are you okay?"

Emily sighed, dropping the happy act. "Who told you?" she asked, defeated.

"Facebook!"

Emily remembered that she had updated her status, at Hanna's insistence. A declaration of her independence, Hanna called it.

Emily explained to Paige that the wound was still fresh, and that the pain was real, but that it had been the right thing to do.

"Well, I wish that I could be back there with you, to help you work through the pain," Paige said sincerely.

"Yeah. Wednesdays aren't the same without you," Emily admitted. _That's why Samara and I broke up,_ she almost wanted to add.

"I'm so sorry, Em. Boy, this internship really came at the wrong time, didn't it?"

 _No,_ Emily wanted to scream, _It was the right time! Or I'd still be with Samara!_ "Well, let's not talk about me," Emily said, not wanting to waste her precious phone-time with Paige by crying over Samara. "Tell me all about California!"

Paige tried to be cheery, thinking that Emily wanted to be cheered up. "Well, the job is great. I'm really learning a lot. California is… different."

"How so?"

"I don't know. Everything's so... young and... new and... hip out here. I miss the old things – old buildings, old trains – old… friends." _One in particular_.

"Well, it takes some time, but you'll make new friends. You can bet on that. Have you met any… interesting women?" Emily wasn't sure that she wanted to know.

Paige laughed. She had talked to a couple of girls at bars, and had been set up on a date or two, but she didn't want to get into that. Not when Emily was fresh off of a breakup from a long-term relationship. "No," she replied honestly.

Emily was about to say something when she heard the doorbell, heard the front door open, and heard footsteps beating it up the stairs. There was an obnoxiously loud knock on her door, and she heard Hanna shout, "Emily! So help me, if you hung up on me to talk to _Samara!_ "

"Paige?" Emily said as she walked over to the door and opened it, continuing the conversation so that Hanna could hear. "I think that I need to hang up, now. There's a crazy blonde outside my bedroom door, worried that I'm talking with my ex."

Paige laughed heartily. "Tell Hanna that I said hi,"

"Tell her yourself," Emily said, switching the phone to speaker.

"Hi, Hanna!"

When Hanna heard Paige's voice, her scowl immediately turned into a smile.

" _Paigey_?" Hanna grabbed the phone out of Emily's hand and had spun around, hoisting the phone beyond Emily's reach before Emily could stop her. "Hey, Cali girl! How are you doing?"

"Well, I'm doing better now, now that I know that you're there looking after my…" "Girl" almost slipped out, but Paige caught herself in time. "My friend."

"Well, aren't you just so sweet for calling, _Paigey."_ Hanna was taunting Emily by silently making kisses at the phone. For a moment, Emily forgot to be depressed about Samara.

"Yes, very sweet," Emily said, retrieving her phone and taking it off of speaker. "Listen, Paige. It was _really_ nice talking to you. Thank you so much for checking up on me."

"My pleasure, Emily. I miss talking with you."

"We should do this again."

"Definitely."

"Soon?"

"Soon," Paige confirmed.

* * *

Paige and Emily got into a habit of weekly phone calls, exchanging their Wednesday lunches at The Brew for Saturday morning conversations over the phone. It was an adjustment, not being able to read Paige's expression or see her face light up, but Emily was grateful to have those times. They helped to get her through some pretty rough weeks.

"I've been thinking about something that you told me, once," Emily said, during one of their talks.

"Really? What was that?"

"That you wanted what Sam and I had. I think that I understand."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. It's rough being single."

"Right?"

"Yeah. I mean - you're lucky, out there in the big city." Emily laughed, lightly, to keep from crying. "It must be like a supermarket of women out there." Emily was trying to keep the mood light, to keep herself from getting depressed.

"I wouldn't go that far. I mean, all these girls, but I still haven't made any friends like the ones that I had in Rosewood."

"No?"

"Surprisingly, walking into a coffee shop and meeting lifelong friends doesn't happen every day. And, believe me, I've tried. Walking into coffee shops. Every day."

"So, history hasn't repeated itself?"

"Be grateful, Em. You're lucky to have your friends around you," Paige said. "The city can be a lonely place," she added, intentionally over the top with her tone.

"Yeah. I know. I am grateful. But, it's not the same. I miss..." _You_ , Emily thought. But she didn't have the courage to say.

"I know," Paige said, thinking that Emily was still talking about how much she missed being in a relationship.

"Sometimes, I even think – you know, as bad as Samara was, was it worse than being alone?"

Paige knew that she needed to tread lightly. It was natural to run back into the arms of one's ex. But it was usually a horrible idea.

"Do you guys still talk?"

Emily couldn't help but laugh. "Paige, we hardly even talked when we were together. That was the problem!"

Paige couldn't really understand how someone could _not_ want to talk with Emily. She groaned sympathetically into the phone. She really wished that she could be next to Emily, to stroke her shoulder and comfort her.

"I really miss our Wednesday lunches," Emily admitted, softly.

"I do, too," Paige said. In a moment of whimsy, she added, "I guess I need to come out there!"

Emily laughed. "Yeah, wouldn't that be nice?"

"Don't laugh, Emily! What would you do if I showed up at The Brew on Wednesday?"

"Come on, Paige. Don't tease. That's crazy."

"I know, Emily. I _wish_ that I could, though."

"We'll, it's good just to hear your voice. At least we have that." Emily was actually smiling now, grateful for the time spent with Paige.

As soon as Paige hung up, she punched in Hanna's number and hit talk. Hanna reached over Caleb to her nightstand and grabbed the phone, the sleepiness diminishing somewhat once she saw who was calling. " _Paigey!_ " she said, in a sleepy voice - softly, so as not to wake Caleb.

"Hanna! So sorry to wake you."

"No prob. What's up, Cali girl?" Hanna said through a yawn.

"Quick question," Paige began, getting straight the point so that Hanna could get back to sleep. "Do you think that it would creep Emily out if I surprised her and showed up at The Brew on Wednesday?"

"Aw, Paigey!" Hanna shrieked, sitting up in bed. Her shriek woke Caleb, who sat up, confused. Seeing that Hanna was on the phone, he grunted and lay back down. "That would be incredible!" Hanna continued. "You'd do that?"

"Well, we were just talking and I kidded her about it. But I really miss her – all of you guys." Paige didn't want to sound hopelessly romantic.

"She misses you, too, Paige." Hanna added, "All of us do," in a sarcastic tone, to let Paige know that she wasn't fooled by Paige's last comment. "But Emily would love to see you. She's been so depressed since you left."

Paige took that to mean, _"Since she broke up with Samara."_

"God, if you came out here..."


	10. Old Friends, New Friends

When Emily met Hanna later that morning for their regular Saturday brunch, she had no idea that Hanna had also talked to Paige earlier in the day. Hanna, uncharacteristically, kept the conversation a secret, not wanting to ruin Paige's surprise. She couldn't really hide her excitement, though, so she had to deflect it.

"Why are you so happy?" Emily asked, her tone and her expression implying that none of her friends had the right to be happy when she was still in a funk over Paige.

"Oh, Em," Hanna said, her eyes dancing and her body-language playful. "Last night, Caleb…"

"Oh, God. Please, Hanna." Emily waved her off. "You're not going to dangle your sexcapades in front of me when I'm single and pathetic."

Hanna scrunched her nose. "Sorry, Emily."

"Yeah, you're _so_ not sorry," Emily said, managing to smile.

"And you're not pathetic. Seriously, Em. You could have any girl in this town."

"I've _had_ every girl in this town, Hanna," Emily deadpanned. "And the girl whom I want isn't in this town anymore."

Hanna nodded with a half smile. She was biting her lip to keep from telling Emily the one bit of news that would actually make her feel better.

"Ugh. Look at that," Emily said, pointing out a couple that was making out in the corner. "Everybody's getting some except me."

Hanna grabbed Emily's hand and gave it a squeeze. Suddenly, her eyebrows furrowed and she flipped Emily's hands over. "When was the last time that you had these done?" she asked.

Emily looked down at her claws. "Seriously - why bother?"

"And when was the last time that you went to the gym?"

"Hanna, don't start on me, okay? Please?"

"I'm just saying, Em. Maybe the reason that you feel pathetic is that you're just checking out from everything. You can't let this get to you." Hanna squeezed Emily's hand again, her eyes begging Emily to take her advice.

Emily let out a deep breath. "I'm in mourning, Hanna. Just let me wallow a little while longer."

Hanna nodded. That was fair. And she had a pretty good idea that Emily would get over her wallowing in the next few days. Still, with the way that Emily was, emotionally, mentally and physically, she wasn't in any condition to see Paige. Hanna would have to work on that.

* * *

Aria stopped by Emily's house later that afternoon, the girls having decided among themselves that they needed to rally around Emily and her get out of her funk.

Aria sat on Emily's bed with her, leafing through some fashion magazines, occasionally pointing things out to Emily. Other than that, she didn't say much. In a way, it was what Emily needed. She didn't have to hold up her end of a conversation and pretend that things were okay. And Aria's presence always had a calming effect on her. But Emily was still hurting on the inside, and the silence gave her more time to wallow in her pain and to think about missed opportunities.

Aria gave Emily a hug before she left and told her to call her any time of the day or night. Emily thanked her, truly grateful to have such great friends.

* * *

Later that evening, Spencer set a mug of coffee down in front of Emily and sat beside her, blowing on her own mug to cool it off. "Well, you look like hell," she pointed out.

Emily was wearing a stained grey sweatshirt, with the collar and the wrists falling off, that looked a couple of sizes too big. She had paired it with some faded maroon sweatpants and flip flops. Her hair was thrown up into a bun that didn't hide the fact that she needed about a gallon of conditioner. There were dark circles under her eyes.

"Thanks, Spencer. I love you, too," Emily said snarkily.

"Do you think that you might be depressed?"

Emily looked into Spencer's eyes, defeated. This wasn't what she wanted. She wanted to be able to forget about everything for a while, not to have to be reminded of how much of a loser she was. "Spencer..." she said weakly. Spencer put her hands up in surrender. They sat silently sipping their coffees until Emily spoke again.

"Did you guys ever talk about me?"

Spencer gave a sympathetic half-smile. "All the time." Emily looked down into her coffee cup sadly. "Emily," Spencer sighed, "I can't betray Paige's trust." Emily nodded. "But it's no secret how she felt about you."

Emily let out a deep breath that sounded as if she were crying. "Why did I let her go to California?"

"Hey," Spencer said, rubbing Emily's shoulder across the table. "That's not the question." Emily raised an eyebrow. "The question is, what are you going to do, now?"

Emily shook her head. She knew what Spencer was going to say: She needed to move on. She and Paige weren't meant to be, so Emily needed to do what Paige had done and make a change, rather than dream about something that would never happen. It may have been rational advice, but Emily wasn't in the mood for rational. "Let's just not talk about it," she sighed.

Spencer nodded and yielded to Emily's wishes. She had been about to tell Emily that she would have to fight for Paige - that it wasn't too late - but she knew that Emily wasn't ready to hear that advice just yet.

"So, did you know that Ethiopian shepherds started drinking coffee when they noticed how crazy their goats became after they ate coffee beans?"

Emily couldn't help laughing. "That's how you came up with to change the subject?"

* * *

Out in California, Paige started looking at flights and immediately began having second thoughts. Traveling on short notice like that was expensive. It wasn't the money that made her question making the trip, though. Being able to help get Emily smiling again was worth whatever the cost. It was the gesture itself that had her worried. If Emily knew how much it cost Paige to fly out for the weekend, she might think that Paige were putting pressure on her - making a power play when Emily was in a vulnerable emotional state - which was something that Paige would never do.

And then there was the possibility that Emily would react badly. As much as Paige wanted to believe that Emily's break-up had something to do with the feelings that she thought that she might be picking up on from Emily, if Emily actually _did_ have feelings, then why did she wait until Paige left to break up with Samara? And why hadn't she tried to get Paige to stay in Rosewood? Emily might see Paige's visit as an attempt to force her hand. She would have to tell Paige, in no uncertain terms, that she only saw her as a friend.

Paige sighed. If that happened, at least she would know. At least she could stop fooling herself. She clicked "Book Now." There was no turning back.

Paige was about to get ready for bed when she heard her phone ring. The call was from an unknown number, but the area code was 415, leading Paige to assume that it was a work call. She wondered what she had done wrong, or had failed to do – or what fire she was being called upon to help put out. She steadied herself before she picked up the phone, trying to keep her tone professional, not annoyed or worried. "Hello?"

"Paige?" the voice on the other end practically sang, a bit too enthusiastically.

"This is she," Paige responded, her voice going up at the end, as if in a question, as she wondered what was up.

"This is Dana," said the voice on the other side, as if Paige should know who that was. _Dana… Dana,_ Paige repeated to herself, not wanting to say it out loud and insult the woman.

 _Oh – Jackie's friend,_ she realized, just as Dana said, "Jackie's friend?"

"Of course!"

"I hope you don't mind that I got your number from Jackie?"

"No, not at all," Paige replied, still thinking that this was a business call. "What can I do for you?"

"Well," Dana said shyly, "This is a little weird, but I came across a quote, and it made me think of you."

Paige laughed, relieved. "I'm dying to hear it!"

"' What the Photograph reproduces to infinity has occurred only once: the Photograph mechanically repeats what could never be repeated existentially.' – because, remember you were telling me about your love/hate relationship with pictures? They freeze reality, but they taunt you with the fact that the moment is lost?" Dana was talking too fast, as if to justify having called Paige just to share this stupid quote.

"No, I get it! I get it completely," Paige said, smiling to herself. "That's a great quote. Where did you come across it?"

"Pinterest," Dana admitted meekly. "I mean, I know that I'm supposed to say that I was studying French philosophers or something, but… Pinterest," she repeated.

Paige laughed. "Well, that's the great thing about the internet! Let some other dumb bastard do the research!"

"Exactly," Dana said, with a weak laugh.

"So," Paige said, breaking the awkward silence that followed.

"So," Dana responded rapidly, sensing that she was about to get ushered off of the phone call. "How's the internship going?" Those were the only two topics that she had prepared in advance. She hoped that the question was enough to keep the conversation going.

"It's going well," Paige replied, because that's what people are supposed to say. "I guess?" she backtracked. "I actually thought, when I saw your number, that it was work calling, because I had royally screwed something up."

"Oh, Paige," Dana oozed, "They all love you there. At least, that's what Jackie tells me!"

When Paige realized that she was still standing up, her body-language still guarded from her fear at what the phone call had been about, she sank down onto her bed, sitting with one leg crossed over, in half of the lotus position. Her other dangled over the edge of the bed. She hadn't really given two thoughts about Dana before, but she couldn't deny that she was enjoying talking with her.

If Paige were to describe Dana in one word, that word would be "cute." She had dark hair that cascaded in tight, plentiful curls on either side of her round cheeks – cheeks that effortlessly curled into a smile that extended right up to the bottom of the black, rectangular frames of her glasses. Her body was soft and curvy, the kind that was perfect for cuddling up against. She struck Paige as being overly shy, perhaps with a bit of low self-esteem. Paige realized that it must have taken a lot of psyching up for her to have made the phone call in the first place.

But, once they got going, the conversation flowed freely and easily. Paige found herself lying on her back on the bed after a while, playing with her hair – stretching strand after strand as far as it would go and letting it fall back down onto the mattress. Before she realized it, Dana was apologizing for having kept her on the phone for so long.

"Paige, I hope that I didn't take you away from anything tonight! I had no idea that we had been talking for so long," she said in an adorably apologetic voice.

"No worries," Paige said amiably. "I have an unlimited talk plan!"

Dana laughed nervously. The nervousness was for what she was about to say. "So, Paige," she said, hesitantly, as if she was hoping that Paige would just shoot her down and put her out of her misery. "I was wondering…" _Don't make me say it_ , Dana kept thinking. Paige was smiling. She wasn't used to having this effect on people. "I thought, maybe," Dana continued, "you and I could… like, hang out sometime. Next weekend maybe?"

Paige was certain that she heard Dana's breathing stop abruptly. It made what she had to say even harder. "Oh, that sounds great, Dana, but I'm actually going to be out of town next weekend."

 _Right. Out of town._ Dana felt stupid. Why would someone like Paige want to hang out with someone like her? She put on her best cheery voice, trying to save face and make it sound as though it was just a casual suggestion. "Oh, that's fine," she said. "I understand."

"Dana," Paige said sincerely, "I know that it sounds as if I'm blowing you off, but I really _am_ going away this weekend."

"I believe you," Dana said, wishing that the call would just mercifully end.

"I'm going back to Pennsylvania for a long weekend. I actually just got the tickets a couple of hours ago. But I _would_ like to hang out sometime, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. We can hang out sometime. Or whatever."

"Not whatever, Dana, I'm serious."

"Okay," Dana said, laughing lightly.

"Okay. Well, I'm really glad that you called, Dana, and I really enjoyed talking with you."

"I enjoyed it, too." Dana smiled.

"And I'll call you when I get back, okay?"

"Okay! Have a good night, Paige."

Paige let out a deep breath after the call ended. She lay back on her bed, clutching her phone to her chest with both hands. She realized that her heart was beating faster, and she had that squirrely feeling in her stomach. It had been a while since she had felt like this, and she couldn't deny that she was enjoying the feeling.

She almost wished that Dana had called before she had booked her airline tickets. She could have explained to Hanna that the tickets were too expensive, and Emily would never have known that Paige had actually been serious about flying out to see her. She knew that seeing Emily would just confuse her at a time when there might have been a real possibility of something with Dana. Paige had moved to California to get away – if not from Emily, than from the confusion and frustration that being around Emily inevitably caused. Going back to Rosewood would just kick-start those feelings all over again.

But, then, Paige remembered the reason that she was going back. It was about Emily, not about her. She would push her thoughts about Dana to the side for a while. There was no need to bring Dana up around Emily or her friends. Paige remembered how hard it was when she was single, on the outside looking in at Emily and Samara's relationship. Now that Emily had gone through a break-up, the last thing that she needed was to have to hear about whatever might be developing between Paige and Dana.


	11. Rude Awakening

On Sunday morning, Emily woke to a screeching voice in her ear. "Emily! Get Up!" Hanna repeated in a rapid staccato, like some kind of grating, blonde alarm clock.

Emily buried her head under her pillow, too tired even to tell Hanna to fuck off. She screamed as she felt Hanna yank the blanket and the sheet off of her, curling up in an attempt to preserve her modesty in the flimsy t-shirt that she had worn to bed. "Hanna!" she wailed, "What are you even doing here?"

"Get up!" Hanna yelled. "We're going to the gym!"

"Oh, just leave me alone. What time is it?"

"It's 6:30. And, I'm not leaving you alone! You've been stuffing yourself with junk food and lazing around like a couch potato ever since Paige left." Emily was expecting to hear, "ever since you broke up with Samara." _Why did Hanna have to bring up Paige?_

"Well, that ends today," Hanna continued, still shouting.

"What are you saying? I'm fat?" Emily was trying to start a fight so that she could get upset and kick Hanna out, but Hanna wouldn't take the bait.

"No, don't be a douche. I'm saying that you need to get moving. Get out of your rut. You'll feel better."

"Why, Hanna? Why do I have to feel better? I don't have anyone to feel better for," Emily whined.

"Uh - you have your friends!" Emily rolled her eyes. "We miss you, Em! But there's someone even more important for whom you need to do it."

"And who would that be, Hanna?" Emily was just begging to hear Hanna say, "Paige," so that she could spit back, "Paige is gone! She left me!" Hanna would be forced to give her some sympathy and, maybe, ice cream, and she could get back to her life of binging and wallowing.

"Yourself!" Hanna said instead. "You deserve better than this, Em. Just trust me." Hanna paused, looking down sympathetically. "I know what I'm talking about."

"Hanna, you can't possibly know what I'm going through."

"I can! I do! I went through the same thing with Travis, remember? And remember what you told me?" Emily groaned angrily. She was a little tired of having people use her words against her. "And you were right," Hanna said softly, sitting next to Emily on the bed where she lay and putting a hand on Emily's back. Emily retreated under her pillow. "Look, Emily," Hanna reasoned, "just give it three days. If you don't feel better about yourself in three days, then you can tell me to fuck off, and I'll never bother you again."

All Hanna needed was three days. Paige would be there in three days.

Emily tipped the pillow up. "Never?" she asked skeptically.

Hanna straightened her back dramatically, joining her hands together in front of her chest as if in prayer. "For as long as we both shall live. I do solemnly swear."

Emily let out a deep sigh. "Fine. Just give me five minutes to throw some gym clothes on."

"Yay!" Hanna said, clapping her hands rapidly. She remained perched on Emily's bed, checking her nails as she waited.

"Um, Hanna?" Emily nudged not-so-subtly, seeing that Hanna wasn't budging.

"What?" Hanna asked, annoyed.

"A little privacy?"

"Yeah, right." Hanna wasn't going anywhere. She knew that, if she stepped out of the room to wait, Emily would lock the door behind her and climb back into bed.

"Hanna!" Emily yelled more insistently.

"Fine!" Hanna said in a mocking tone, rolling her eyes and shaking her head as she reached next to Emily to grab Emily's sleep mask. She put it over her eyes and stood sentry, blocking the the bedroom door. " _Privacy_ ," she affirmed.

* * *

Emily stomped aggressively against the pads of the elliptical machine. She had to admit that Hanna was right. It _did_ feel better to get moving again. She was gasping for air a lot sooner than she would have expected to be, thought, not realizing how out of shape she had let herself become - or how hard she was pushing things for her first workout in ages.

Hanna, looking on from the machine next to her, pulled an earbud out of her ear and asked Emily, "You okay?"

"Great," Emily said, gasping out the word.

Hanna reached over to Emily's machine and hit the "Cool Down" button. "What the hell?" Emily protested.

"Don't overdo it! This is just your first day back."

"I've got too much energy," Emily said, throwing jabs at the air as the machine slowed her pace to a walk. "I've got to do something!"

"How about a swim?"

"I didn't bring my suit."

"Well, lucky for you, your beautiful blonde best friend did!"

They climbed off of their machines and walked over to the lockers. Hanna produced one of Emily's swimsuits from her locker with a dramatic flourish. "Who's your bestest friend in the whole wide world?" she sang as she dangled the garment in front of Emily.

"You are," Emily said, her voice thick with sarcasm. Still, she gave Hanna a hug. "Thanks, Han. I really needed today."

They showered before they changed into their swimsuits. Emily was embarrassed to find that hers fit a bit more snugly than she had remembered. It had been a while. But she knew that the water would do her good. As soon as she dove into it, she began to feel like herself again. She felt free and light. It wasn't just the water that was buoying her.

She stayed after Hanna had to get up and go. Emily was taking a leisurely pace and enjoying the water, so Hanna wasn't worried that she would start over-exerting herself again.

* * *

Jackie showed up at Paige's desk at lunchtime on Monday with a bottle of water and a couple of plastic containers of food in tow. She pulled the spare chair up to Paige's desk and began spreading out her lunch.

"Um, hi, Jackie?" Paige said. "Make yourself at home!"

"So," Jackie said, ignoring Paige's sarcasm, "did anything interesting this weekend?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," Paige said. "On Saturday night," Paige paused to build up Jackie's suspense, "I picked up some tickets to fly out to Pennsylvania!"

"Ha ha. Very funny," Jackie said, but the look on Paige's face told her that she wasn't kidding. "Paige!" she whined.

"What?" Paige mockingly whined back.

"Tell me that you're not…"

"Actually, I am," Paige said, with a confident smile.

"You know that that's not healthy!"

"What? I know that what's not healthy?"

"Seeing _that woman!"_ Jackie said, trying to control her heart rate – and the tone of her voice.

"Jackie, she's not 'that woman.'" Paige said, patiently. "She's my friend. And I'm going out to see her as a friend."

Paige had told Jackie all about Emily, but she always made it clear that Emily wasn't a villain. Emily was Paige's friend, and Emily couldn't be blamed for the fact that Paige wanted more.

"Fine," Jackie conceded, "she's your _friend_. But you know how you feel about her, and you know that you're not going to be able to move on from her as long as you keep her in your life."

"Jackie, relax," Paige said. "I'm honestly just going as a friend, to help cheer up another friend. It's nothing more than that."

"Cheer her up? Why does she need to be cheered up?"

"She…" Paige sighed. "She broke up with her girlfriend," she admitted barely audibly, looking away from Jackie.

"Paige!"

"Okay, okay, I know!" Paige almost shouted. "And, I swear to you, I'm only going as a friend. I'm not closing the door to anything – or anybody – in San Francisco." Paige pleaded. "Which takes us to the _second_ interesting thing that happened Saturday night."

"She called?" Jackie said optimistically, her eyes lighting up in anticipation.

"Yes, 'she' did," Paige said, rolling her eyes.

"I was afraid that she was going to chicken out."

"You didn't talk to her?"

"No – I wanted to get the news directly from you." Paige took too long to answer, so Jackie prodded impatiently, "So?"

"So, she called." Paige took her time, both to savor the memory and to torture Jackie. "At first, I thought that the call was about work, but we started talking and…"

"And?"

"And we talked for over an hour, I guess."

"And?" Jackie said louder, growing more impatient.

"And she wanted to hang out next weekend, but, you know. I'm going to Pennsylvania."

"Damn it, Paige!" Jackie was about to give Paige a lecture about delusional non-relationships, opening her heart to love, and opportunities right under her nose, but Paige cut her off.

"But, I told her," she continued insistently "that we should definitely hang out soon, once I get back in town."

"Oh," Jackie said, satisfied. She put her hand on Paige's shoulder. "You _are_ going to call her, right?"

"Yes, Jackie."

"I mean, she's a bright, charming, sweet girl, and she's"

"Cute," Paige interrupted. "I know, Jackie. I said that I'd call her."

"Okay," Jackie said condescendingly. After a moment, she couldn't keep from adding, "She deserves a chance, Paige. _You_ deserve a chance"

"Jackie…" Paige was about to get annoyed, but then she thought about what Jackie must have done to convince shy Dana to call. And she thought about what Jackie was doing for _her_ at that very moment. Yes, it was kind of annoying and condescending, but her advice was solid, and it was nothing that she hadn't been telling herself ever since she got off the phone with Dana. "Thanks," Paige finally said.

"Thanks? What are you thanking _me_ for?" Jackie asked coyly.

"For whatever you said to Dana to convince her to call me. And for all of the good advice that you've been giving me ever since you invited yourself in for lunch. It was really nice talking with Dana last night," Paige admitted. "And I'm really looking forward to getting to know her better. So thanks."

Jackie got up and gave Paige a hug. "Just don't let _that woman_ put you back under her spell," she teased, smacking Paige on the shoulder before she let go.

"Jackie," Paige whined.

"All right, all right! Your _friend_ ," Jackie mocked. "Just remember to keep it in perspective, okay? And, have a great time, Paige."

* * *

Emily was eager to get back to the gym after her Monday classes and her evening shift at The Brew. Her Sunday session in the pool had reawakened something in her. It was more than physical. It had taken her back to her younger days, which, as she looked back on them, seemed so carefree and light.

As great as it had been to hit the gym with Hanna, Emily was grateful to be there by herself this time. It gave her plenty of time to think things through. Swimming had always helped her clear her head.

Hanna's efforts to get Emily out of her bed and back into the gym and the pool had gotten Emily thinking. She realized that, in the same way that she had had to get her body moving in order to get herself back into shape, she would have to get her _self_ moving in order to get her chance at a love life back into shape. Nothing was going to happen while she lay around and moped.

And she had come to realize that the door wasn't closed with Paige. She had never really tried that door. It didn't matter that Paige was in California. There was nothing saying that Paige couldn't come back to Rosewood – or that, once she graduated, Emily couldn't go out to San Francisco.

* * *

"Someone's chipper," Pam observed as she set her plate down and took a seat next to Emily at the dinner table. Emily smiled at the comment, remembering having said the same thing to Paige not that long ago. She hadn't realized at that time that she learned the expression from Pam, but hearing it again reminded her of all the times in the past that she had heard her mother say it.

Emily didn't bother to look up. She just smiled at her plate as she played with her food.

"Well, I'm glad to see that you're coming out of your doldrums," Pam smiled. Emily was in too good a mood to protest that she hadn't been in the doldrums. "Is it safe to assume that there's a woman responsible for this change?" Pam asked hopefully.

"You could say that," Emily nodded, still smiling, still trailing her fork with her eyes. Pam braced herself, hoping to hear that Paige was the woman, but fearing that Emily was going to tell her that it was Samara. Emily dropped her fork and put her hands down at the side of her plate. "Relax, Mom. It's Hanna." Pam did a double-take. Emily sighed and rolled her eyes. "Not like _that._ She just came over and kicked my… butt a little bit," Emily said, and Pam nodded knowingly, acknowledging Emily's choice of the word.

"Well, I'm glad," Pam repeated. "You've always had great friends. I'm glad that they're still there to support you – the way that they did back when your father and I were still coming up to speed."

Pam was right. Emily felt blessed to have such good friends.

"Have you talked to Paige recently?" Pam's voice was still hopeful.

"Just our usual Saturday phone call," Emily shrugged.

"Is there something there?"

"Mom," Emily whined, her tone saying, "Don't start."

"I just thought that, maybe you should call her, you know. Now that you're in a good mood. Can it hurt to let her know that you miss her?"

Emily sighed. "She knows, Mom."

"Well, I won't push it," she said, still smiling. "But, just don't consider that door closed until you've tried it."

Emily smiled and squeezed her mom's hand, thankful for her interest, and thankful that her mom had confirmed what Emily had been thinking earlier at the gym.

Emily didn't have a plan or a timetable, but she had a direction. And she had hope, now. And as long as that hope was out there, she would keep the faith.

* * *

"Maybe I can stop by tomorrow after the gym," Emily said.

"Tomorrow's not going to work," Hanna said. "I'm going to be with Caleb."

"I thought that Caleb was out of town."

"He is…" Hanna said, thinking on her feet. "I'm driving up to North Jersey to surprise him."

"That's so sweet!" Emily oozed. "When did you decide that?"

Hanna shrugged. "Just a spur of the moment thing." She was laughing to herself at how her cover story for picking up Paige at the airport - surprising Caleb - paralleled Paige's actual story - surprising Emily.

"Aw," Emily said, hugging her best friend. "I want a girlfriend like you when I grow up!"

Hanna held Emily tight and rubbed her back. _If you play your cards_ _right_ , she thought. "But, listen," she said. "We need some girl time, just you and me. You should take off on Friday, and we'll go into the city."

"Seriously? A little notice would've been nice. I can't just take off."

"You've got three days. Get that girl who has a crush on you."

"What girl?"

"Or that _guy_ who has a crush on you, whatever."

"Hanna, not everyone who works at The Brew has a crush on me, despite what you think."

"Well, just call out sick or something. I'm not taking no for an answer! You owe me, Fields!"

"I owe you?"

Hanna sighed. "How soon they forget. Look at you! Look how happy you are now! Remember how you were feeling two days ago, when I crashed your little pity party?"

"Okay, but, Hanna, we're going to get together on Saturday, anyway!"

"Yeah, and you're going to be all depressed after your Saturday morning phone call with Paige! Come on! Let's just get together like the old times - cutting school and having some fun!"

Emily decided to give in. It wasn't that she owed Hanna, or, it wasn't _just_ that. Hanna was right: It _had_ been too long since they had been able to cut loose and spend some carefree time together.

"I'll make some calls," Emily said cheerfully. "I'm sure that I can get someone to cover."

Hanna brushed her fingers through Emily's hair. "Why don't you go have something done with this, since we can't get together tomorrow night? You never know! The future Mrs. Fields could come waltzing through the door on Wednesday!"

Emily rolled her eyes. "You know what they say, Hanna. Lightning doesn't strike twice."

"Well, still. You owe yourself. And, if we're going to go to the city on Friday, you'll want to be looking hot."

"Fine, whatever, Hanna. I'll get my hair done."

"Yay!" Hanna said. "And a mani-pedi wouldn't hurt, either!"


	12. Guess Who's Back in Town

**A/N - _Guest:_** ** _Nooooo. I count on you for pure paily fluff, not angst._ **

**I know, right? I've really strayed from my Paily-fluff roots with this one. I apologize... Please hang in there. The Paily happy times are just around the corner. And I promise that my next fic will be angst-free.**

* * *

Hanna picked Paige up from the red-eye into Philadelphia late Tuesday night. It was all very cloak-and-dagger. She made Paige duck down as she pulled into her driveway. Once she was sure that the coast was clear, she snuck Paige into the house.

When Paige accepted the internship in California, she rented her house out to one of her co-workers for a year. She figured, if she didn't get offered a permanent position in San Francisco, and she ended up back in Rosewood after six months, there was plenty of room for the two of them in the old Lowrie house for the balance of the year-long lease. So, she would have been able to stay at her own house for this brief visit, had not Hanna, wanting to be as close to the action as possible, insisted that she stay with her.

* * *

On Wednesday, Paige showed up to The Brew about fifteen minutes before Emily's normal time to go on lunch break. She knew that she needed to get there early, because Emily had probably gone back to eating her lunches in the break room, now that she was no longer spending the time with Paige. Paige didn't want someone to have to go and tell Emily that she was there. She wanted to see the look on Emily's face when she found out.

Emily looked up at the door with her usual, professional smile when she heard the bell. When she saw Paige there, the smile was replaced by a stunned gawk. She dropped the towel that she had been using to wipe down the counter and ran to the door to give Paige a bear hug. With all her might, she resisted the urge to give Paige a kiss. In similar circumstances, she might have kissed Hanna, Spencer, or Aria. She knew that it wasn't the same with Paige. But that didn't stop her from holding onto Paige for a long time. When they pulled apart, they were both smiling like idiots. Emily was totally at a loss for words. She didn't know where to begin.

"Hi," Paige said, still beaming. "Are you free for lunch?"

Emily, who still hadn't said a single word, grabbed Paige's hand and silently led her to the back, behind the counter. She didn't have to tell Talia that she was going on her lunch break. Paige gave Talia an embarrassed look as she passed her, almost tripping on her feet as Emily pulled her along. This was new territory for Paige. She didn't think that she was even allowed behind the counter. Talia just smiled, gesturing with her hands to usher Paige off into the unknown.

When they got downstairs to the break room, Emily gave Paige a quick hug and released her grip on Paige's hand. "I can't believe that you flew all the way out here," she said, barely above a whisper.

"I wasn't kidding, Emily! I missed our lunch breaks!"

"When did you get here?" Emily asked, still not over her giddiness at Paige's surprise.

"I flew in last night. Hanna picked me up."

"Hanna," Emily said wistfully, shaking her head.

"Right? You wouldn't believe how hard she wanted to be here for this!"

"Oh," Emily chuckled, "I can believe it. I bet she's upstairs now, looking for us."

"Is that why you took me down here?"

Emily was dumbfounded. She didn't really know why she had taken Paige down to the break room. She hardly realized that she was doing it. "I just really missed you," she shrugged shyly.

"I missed you, too," Paige said, adding, a little starry eyed, "You look beautiful, by the way."

Emily pulled her apron wider, as if to hide her waist behind it. She quickly stroked her hair back into place. "I... I haven't been - "

Paige pulled Emily's hands from her hair and looked deep into her eyes. "You look great," she repeated.

Emily smiled, looking down at her shoes. She was grateful that she had taken Hanna's advice about getting her hair and nails done, now that she realized why Hanna had given her that advice.

* * *

It was slow, as usual for a Wednesday, so Emily cleared things with Talia and bailed on the remaining two hours of her shift. She and Paige did some window-shopping, stopping in a couple of stores to try on some outfits. Paige managed to find the most outrageous-looking tops and tried them on, cycling through a sequence of silly poses. Anything to make Emily laugh and forget all about Samara for a while. What Paige didn't realize was that, just by being there, she was making Emily smile. Samara was long-since forgotten.

Paige tried on army-green tank top with the collar ripped out and the picture of an album cover by The Clash on the front. She came out of the dressing room sneering like a 1980s British punk-rocker and flexing her biceps. Emily's eyes ranged from Paige's collarbone to her triceps to her biceps, and she got a little weak in the knees. To cover for it, she pretended that she was doubling over in laughter. "Oh, my God, Paige! I have to get a picture!" she said off-handedly, but Paige got all shy. She didn't mind being ridiculous for Emily, but she didn't want to be ridiculous all over the internet. "Please?" Emily practically begged, and Paige caved, flexing again and curling her lip.

"Okay, Paige insisted once Emily had taken her picture, "Now I want one with you!" Paige propped her phone on a nearby mannequin and started the PhotoBooth app. She and Emily flexed and sneered through a sequence of poses, laughing out loud at the results.

* * *

That evening, they had dinner with the girls at Hanna's house. They sat on the floor around the coffee table in Hanna's living room, with no one but Spencer paying attention to Jeopardy on the TV in the background. Aria's attention was riveted to her phone. Hanna had her eyes fixed on Emily: The way that she seemed to be inching closer and closer to Paige as the night went on; the way that she took the olives off of each slice that she put on her plate and put them on top of Paige's pizza; the way that she actually fed Paige the last few bites of pizza that she couldn't finish herself, holding her hand under Paige's chin and opening her mouth, as if she and Paige were partaking together.

When the pizza was gone they put on a movie. Paige and Emily claimed the couch, mirroring each other with their backs against the arms on either side, their hands in their laps, and their legs stretched out in front of them and touching occasionally. After a few minutes of this, Emily got a text. She rolled her eyes when she saw that it was from Hanna, moving her phone to the side away from Paige as she deciphered the sequence of emojis: two kissing birds, a rainbow, two girls holding hands, a heart, Cupid, and a heart with an arrow through it.

* * *

Emily was the last of the girls to leave that night, and Paige walked her out to the porch to say good night. Emily gave her a long hug and repeated what she had been saying all day, "I can't believe that you came out here." Paige had her chin on top of Emily's head, and, as they pulled apart, Emily was sure that she didn't just imagine what felt like the lightest of kisses on the top of her head.

After Paige walked Emily to her car and closed the driver's door, she turned around just in time to see the curtain close in the front room. She gave Hanna a glare when she got back into the house, and Hanna just shrugged, smiling to herself and shaking her head.

* * *

On Thursday, Paige was content to hang out at The Brew for the duration of Emily's shift. Emily came over and sat with Paige whenever she could – when she would ordinarily have been standing behind the counter, wiping things down or restocking the plasticware and condiments.

In those moments of solitude, when Paige was watching Emily work, she had some time to think things over. Before she left California, she had decided not to bring up Dana, because she didn't want to flaunt her potential relationship in front of Emily and the ashes of the recent break-up with Samara. But now that she had seen Emily, she realized that she would have to nip things in the bud with Dana. She and Emily weren't together, and probably never would be, but she still held undeniable, strong feelings for Emily. It wouldn't be fair to Dana for Paige to go into something with her while she was still carrying baggage from her non-relationship with Emily. Even though it would be hard, after she had assured Dana that she wanted to hang out with her, she would have to do the right thing.

 _Shit_ , she thought to herself, _Jackie was right about what would happen when I saw Emily._

 _Shit_ , she realized, _Jackie's going to kill me._

* * *

Now that Paige was in Rosewood, Emily understood why Hanna had been so insistent that she find someone to cover her shift on Friday and take the day off. She was grateful to her best friend for getting her a free day to spend with Paige.

Emily parked in Hanna's driveway and started texting Paige to let her know that she was there, but that Paige could take her time getting ready. Just then, the door flew open, and Emily smiled, deleting the text. It felt good to know that she wasn't the only one eager to get started on their day together. Her smile turned to a look of confusion when she saw Hanna skip down the stairs and let herself in on the passenger side. "Hiya, Em! Paige will be down in a second!"

Emily stared open-mouthed, in shock and disbelief, but before she could say anything, Hanna asked, "What? You _did_ say that you'd spend the day in the city with me, didn't you?"

"Hanna!" Emily whined, dipping her shoulders down as she leaned toward her.

"Oh, I'm just kidding you, you big baby! Paige will be down in a minute. I'm just here to wish you luck." Hanna reached over with an innocent smile, offering Emily a hug.

Emily could have screamed at her, but she was so excited about spending the day with Paige, and so grateful to Hanna for having set it up, that, after letting Hanna just sit there with her arms outstretched and a welcoming smile, she let it go and gave Hanna the hug. After all, Hanna's little joke had helped to relax her. Hanna gave her a quick peck on the cheek and whispered, "You'll have a great time" in her ear before they released.

Paige showed up with an apologetic shrug, saying, "She made me do it," as she stepped into the car.

Emily gave Paige's shoulder a shove. "I'm guessing that it didn't take much to convince you!" Paige smiled sheepishly and nodded her head.

* * *

As they got close to Philadelphia, Emily asked, "So, what did you feel like doing in Philly today?"

"I was thinking that we could start at the Barnes Museum."

Emily couldn't help chuckling. "Too bad you don't still have an office in Center City," she said, glancing over at Paige. "We could go check out _your_ collection!"

Paige could feel her face starting to flush, and dipped her head. "No more creepy pictures of you and your friends, I promise!"

Emily patted Paige's forearm and pouted playfully. "I'm disappointed! We've been replaced?"

"No. I actually have that same picture in my new cubicle," Paige admitted. "We'll, I printed it on better paper and put it in a frame, so..."

Emily smiled in Paige's direction. "Well, maybe we can get a new picture for your desk today." Emily wouldn't have minded getting a new picture for herself.

* * *

Art wasn't necessarily Emily's thing. Although she enjoyed it, it wasn't something that she would have dedicated a morning to. But she was having fun. She was enjoying how much Paige enjoyed it. Paige often stopped to describe the history or significance of some of the pieces that she was she was familiar with, gesturing with her hands and smiling enthusiastically at Emily, looking to see whether or not Emily was equally excited. Emily always smiled broadly, rubbing Paige's shoulder. Part of her wished that she could kiss that shoulder, but they weren't there yet.

They were so close as they walked through the galleries that Emily kept expecting their hands to touch, but, to her disappointment, that never happened. There were several subtle touches; Paige grabbing her elbow to draw her attention to something, or ushering her through a gallery entrance with a gentle hand on the back. Emily's favorite was the times when Paige put both hands on her shoulders to put her in just the right position to view a painting. It wasn't just Paige's hands on her shoulder; it was Paige's air of authority - the fact that she knew just where Emily should be. And the fact that they were experiencing this together; that Paige _wanted_ to share the experience with her.

After the museum, they walked a couple of blocks over to the Granary building and grabbed a bite at a café on the ground floor.

"Okay," Paige said. "We did my thing this morning. What do _you_ feel like doing, now?"

Emily tilted her head up and put her index finger on her chin as she thought. "Well..." she said, drawing out the word, and Paige grinned in anticipation of whatever it was that Emily was about to come up with. "How about miniature golfing?"

Paige laughed. "That sounds like fun. So, Cherry Hill?" she asked, assuming that they would have to cross the bridge to New Jersey to find a course.

"Oh, Paige," Emily said condescendingly, "do you mean to tell me that you've never golfed in Franklin Square Park?"

"Are you serious?" Paige asked. "There's mini-golf in Center City?"

"Are _you_ serious? You've never been?" Paige shook her head. "Well, we have to go then!" Emily concluded, playfully swiping her index finger across the back of Paige's hand.


	13. The Saddle Point

Miniature golf with Paige was different. She definitely took the game seriously, but, unlike Spencer, Paige wasn't ultra-competitive. Paige cringed, bending at her knees and making a fist toward the sky whenever she missed a shot that she thought that she should have made, but she cheered whenever Emily made a nice shot, and gave a sympathetic, "Aw!" when Emily missed a close one. She even hugged Emily to celebrate Emily's hole-in-one.

But she wouldn't hold Emily's hand.

There was a mom with three young children ahead of them. She offered to let Paige and Emily go first, saying, "We're going to take a while," but Paige waved her off.

"Take your time! We don't have anywhere to be!"

As they stood there waiting their turn, Emily smiled at the smile that stretched across Paige's face as she watched the children whiffing on a shot or reacting excitedly when they finally got the ball into the cup. And Emily wanted to hold Paige's hand, but Paige never picked up on it. Emily playfully bumped shoulders with Paige and looked down at her hand, but Paige just bumped her shoulder back and smiled.

Emily decided not to be disappointed. Paige had flown all the way across the country to be with her, and she was going to stay happy about that. And Paige was flying back the next day, so Emily wasn't going to waste any of their time together brooding.

The course at Franklin Square features miniature versions of Philadelphia landmarks, like the Liberty Bell, the Ben Franklin Bridge, the skyline, and, of course, the Art Museum's Rocky steps. While they waited their turn, Paige goofed around on the small-scale buildings, pretending to be a giant who was attacking the city with her mighty golf club. "Paige!" Emily laughed, "You're going to get us kicked out!" But that didn't stop Emily from making Paige redo one of the poses so that she could capture it on her phone.

Her favorite picture of Paige in Franklin Square, though, was unposed. Paige was leaning casually on her golf club with a smile on her face as she watched the family in front of them enjoying themselves. She didn't even know that Emily was taking her picture. That's what Emily liked so much; the unaffected, easy beauty of the picture. She set it as Paige's contact picture on her phone.

Had they been dating, she would have made it the cover image on her facebook page.

* * *

Paige gave her a high-five and a "Good Game!" when they completed the eighteenth hole, and it was all that Emily could do not to roll her eyes. _This is where you kiss me, you idiot!_ her internal voice was screaming.

They shared a lemonade from Square Burger, and, afterwards, Emily stood up and grabbed both of Paige's hands to help her up. She kept hold of Paige's right hand and led her over to the carousel, looking back at her with a smile, to confirm that Paige was up for it.

Paige put her hands on Emily's hips and boosted onto the back of a horse, standing beside her with one arm extended in front of her, the other behind Emily's back, trying her best to find the angle to get a picture. The mother who had been in front of them on the golf course was also on the carousel, and, when she caught sight of what was going on, she stood up from the sleigh on which she and her children were riding and came over, offering to help. Paige quickly jumped on the horse next to Emily's and the two of them looked at each other, smiling as their new friend snapped the picture. And that was the shot that Emily had been hoping for.

After the carousel, they stayed in the park for a while, relaxing and chatting on one of the benches. Paige was sitting with her elbows over the back of the bench, and Emily was turned, slightly, facing her, with her hands between her legs. All of a sudden, Paige sprang up, telling Emily that she would be back. She sprinted over to the playground area, where she saw the mother pushing her youngest child on the swing as she tried to keep an eye on the two older children, one on the slide and the other on the jungle gym. Emily smiled to herself as she watched Paige get up to play with the kids.

"Need some help?" Paige asked the mother. "I couldn't help notice that you've got three kids and only two hands!"

The mother started to shake her head, but, as Paige stepped up to the swing and started pushing, the mom gave a smile of thanks and headed over to the slide, to coax her hesitant daughter down.

Emily smiled at Paige's big heart and moseyed over to the playground, her hands folded behind her. She stood next to Paige as Paige continued pushing the swing. "Sorry," Paige said, "I just thought that she could use a little break."

Emily bumped Paige's shoulder. "You just wanted to play with the kids. Admit it!"

Paige gave a shy shrug and nodded her head. Emily really felt like kissing her. She raised her hand to Paige's cheek and delicately swiped it with her fingers, staring into Paige's eyes for a solid second before jogging over to the jungle gym to give some attention to the oldest of the three children.

* * *

They didn't want to move the car and have to park it again, so they stayed in Old City for dinner. There was a slight undertone of sadness over the meal, knowing that it would be the last dinner that they would be able to share for a while. And, although Emily felt guilty at the thought, it was there: She couldn't help wishing for more from their brief time together.

The ride back to Rosewood was mostly silent. It wasn't an awkward silence, but, rather, the sullen silence of shared sadness.

"I had a great time today," Paige said when Emily pulled into Hanna's driveway.

"I did, too," Emily affirmed. "I really needed today."

Paige gave Emily's hand a gentle squeeze. She breathed deeply, as if she had something to say, but she sighed on the other end of the breath, not knowing what she wanted to say or even how to say it.

Emily was fighting with all she had to be strong. She didn't want to bring Paige down and end the day on a low note. "I'd better let you get some sleep," she said. Paige nodded and leaned in for a hug. She rubbed Emily's back, and Emily held on, trying to commit that feeling - every place where their bodies were making contact - to memory. "Next time," she said, "you're staying at my house."

Emily felt Paige's head nod against her shoulder. Before they broke from the hug, Paige pressed her cheek against Emily's. It felt almost as intimate as a kiss good-night. Emily grazed her fingernails against Paige's cheek as Paige pulled away.

Paige swore that she could still feel the tingle on that cheek when she laid it to rest on the pillow that night.

* * *

One of the first things that Paige did when she got back to California was call Dana and arrange to meet her for coffee.

As soon as they sat down, Dana could tell form the thickness in the air that it wasn't good news.

"So, how was Pennsylvania?" she said, trying to stay strong.

"It was good, Dana," Paige said with a heavy sigh. "That's actually what I wanted to talk about." _No need to beat around the bush._

"Okay," Dana said, putting both hands on the table. Her face and her body language let Paige know that she knew what was coming.

"There's a girl back in Pennsylvania - Emily," Paige said, slowly and haltingly. Dana maintained eye contact, nodding to indicate that she was following Paige's words. "She's actually the reason that I moved to California. I was running away from my feelings for her, because - well, it wasn't meant to be."

"And, you ran back to her?"

"I ran back as a friend. I swear to you, Dana. She was going through something, and I went there to cheer her up."

Dana nodded. "I see."

"Yeah. And, the thing is, I discovered that I still have feelings for her." Dana nodded. "The night that you called, it was so great talking to you. I really wished that I hadn't bought the tickets to go back, because - well, you know." Dana looked confused. "I was excited about what might develop, between you and me." Dana nodded again.

"But now?"

"Well, now that I've seen her, I just realized that those feelings never really went away, you know? And, even though nothing's happening between her and me, I just don't think that it's fair to see where something may go with someone when I'm still thinking about someone else."

"You're right," Dana said, smiling sadly. "It's not."

"I'm sorry," Paige offered sincerely.

"Don't be," Dana said, shaking her head. "I'm just glad that you're being honest with me - and with yourself." Paige nodded. "I will admit that I'm disappointed," Dana said, looking away from Paige.

"I am, too," Paige said, honestly. "And, maybe, after some more time here, those feelings will fade again."

"Maybe," Dana agreed cheerfully, although she wasn't optimistic. "But no more trips to Pennsylvania," she teased, rubbing Paige's shoulder.

* * *

"McCullers!" Jackie was trying to keep the edge out of her tone. Paige was her friend, after all. That's why she wanted to see her happy. That's why she hated to see her give up a shot of happiness to walllow over a woman who was three time-zones away.

"I know. I'm an idiot."

"That's an understatement!"

"I just didn't think that it was fair to Dana, when I still have feelings for Emily."

"But maybe Dana could help you get over those feelings!"

Paige gave that statement some thought. "Yeah," she concluded, "Maybe. But would _you_ want to be Dana in a relationship like that?"

Jackie sighed. Paige had a point.

"Look - it's probably not forever. I mean, when Dana called, I was ready. I was really looking forward to it. And, if nothing else, I owe you for that. I owe _Dana_ for that. She showed me that I could be interested in somebody - maybe even give my heart to somebody."

"Somebody _else_ ," Jackie corrected.

"Yeah, somebody else. And I know that I'll get there again, someday. I'm sure of that."

"I just hope that Dana's still available 'someday,' " Jackie muttered bitterly.

"What was that?"

"No more trips back to Rosewood!" Jackie said, rather than repeating herself.

"I know," Paige said, throwing her hands up. "Dana already told me!"

Jackie got up and gave Paige a hug. "You know that I just want you to be happy, right?"

"I know, Jackie. And believe me, I appreciate that."

But, as things stood, neither Paige nor Emily was happy.

* * *

In mathematics, there is the concept of a saddle point, which is a point on a graph that is both the highest point and the lowest point in the area around it. If you visualize a saddle, the top of the part that curves down over the horse is, at the same time, the highest point of that section and the lowest point of the part that curves up to cradle the rider in place.

All of this is to say that Paige's visit formed a saddle point for Emily. Seeing Paige at The Brew that Wednesday and hanging out with her that weekend was an exhilarating high; reviving. But being reminded of what she didn't have was a devastating low; almost physically painful.

At brunch, the Saturday before Paige flew home, Emily told her, "I wish that you didn't have to go back to California."

"I know." Paige smiled sadly. "I'm really going to miss this place. I didn't realize how much, until I left. You have no idea how hard it is to make friends in a big city."

 _Stupid_ , Emily thought. Paige hadn't flown all the way across the country just to see her. She came because she missed all of her friends in Rosewood.

Emily realized how foolish she had been to think that, in the same way that Paige showed up when Emily told her that she wished that she was back in Rosewood, Paige would stay in Rosewood if she knew that Emily didn't want her to leave.

It was foolish, but it had been the only shred of hope that Emily had, at that point.

After Paige got back to California, Emily started letting her calls go to voice-mail. Sometimes she would call back, and sometimes she wouldn't. It was just too painful. Emily felt like a waiter at a fancy steakhouse, having to serve prime rib to her customers every night after her doctor has told her that she can't eat red meat.

After a while, Paige got the message and stopped calling.

* * *

What Paige didn't realize was that Emily wasn't just pulling away from her. She was also withdrawing from all of her friends.

Emily thought back to the conversation that she had had with Spencer before Paige's visit, and wondered whether or not she was depressed. She had a hard time getting out of bed in the mornings. She was just going through the motions in school and at work. And she felt like crying all the time. Not crying over Paige; just crying. All that she felt like doing was planting herself in front of her laptop with a box of tissues and a gallon of ice cream, and watching every tragic love story that had ever been filmed.

Before Paige's visit, Emily had considered getting back together with Samara. Once she was in the break room with Paige, relaxing and laughing and losing track of time, she remembered why she wouldn't be able to settle for life with Samara again. It wouldn't be enough. And she began to wonder whether or not she was ever going to find a relationship that was enough.

At the time when she needed her friends the most, Emily was shutting them out. But, fortunately for her, she had friends who weren't so quick to give up.

* * *

Paige couldn't help the smile that came when she looked at her phone and saw who was calling. "Hanna! How are you?"

"Paige." Hanna said the name and stopped. It sounded quite serious.

"'Paige?' Not 'Paigey?' " Paige tried to laugh, even though she was concerned by Hanna's tone.

"We need to talk."

Paige sat down on the bed and said, "Okay," with a hint of fear in her voice.

"It's about Emily."

Paige's eyes widened and she put her hand on her chest, trying not to panic. "Oh, my God, Hanna. What happened? Is she okay?"

"YOU happened, Paige!" Hanna yelled, adding, flatly, "And, no, she's not okay!"

"What? What did I do?"

"She misses you, Paige. Like, _misses_ misses you."

"Whoa, Hanna. I know for a fact that she doesn't think of me that way. After I came out to see her, she stopped taking my calls, because she was afraid that she was leading me on. And I can see why she'd be worried about that. I mean, I flew all the way across the country to see her – it's pretty obvious that I was hoping for more out of this relationship than she was."

Paige thought back to her last conversation with Emily before she flew back to California.

" _I wish that you didn't have to go back to California."_

" _I know. It's hard finding friends – especially someone like you."_

" _Don't worry, Paige. It just takes time. You'll find someone."_

"Ugh!" Hanna was beyond frustrated. "Listen, I don't know what happened between the two of you. Emily won't talk to me. She won't talk to any of her friends. I just know that she's broken, Paige, ever since you went back to California. And I know that, when she's with you, she has that spark. So, even if I'm wrong about how she feels for you," (Paige could hear Hanna's voice breaking.) "you're still her friend and you make her feel better. So, please. Do something, Paige."

Paige sighed deeply. "What can I do, Hanna?" she pleaded. "She stopped taking my calls."

"She stopped taking _everyone's_ calls, Paige." Paige sighed in helpless frustration. "You're a smart girl. You'll figure something out," Hanna said. " _Please._ "

Paige nodded into the phone. She recognized desperation in Hanna's voice. "Yeah, sure, Hanna. I'll figure something out."

Paige exhaled deeply once she hung up the phone. She would figure something out. She just had no idea what.


	14. Called Out

**A/N - I just need to take a quick moment to thank you all for sticking with this story despite all of the ups and downs.**

 **Special thanks to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review - especially those who have weighed in on every single chapter. Your feedback means the world to me.**

* * *

Emily saw the time on her phone before she saw who was calling. It was almost 4:30 in the morning. She rolled over to go back to sleep before the significance of the time hit her. Paige was calling at after one in the morning Pacific time. Emily worried that she was in trouble.

"Paige?"

"Emily!"

"Paige?" Emily prodded for the reason behind Paige's call.

"Emily!"

"Paige, are you drunk?"

"No!" Paige whined, a little too offended and defensive at the question.

"Ugh! Paige, you're _clearly_ drunk! Why are you calling me at one in the morning?"

"I miss you!" Paige whined. She _was_ drunk, and, in her inebriated state, the guard shielding her emotions was down.

Paige knew that Emily would ignore her call if she called at a reasonable time. Her only hope, she reasoned, was to call Emily after hours, and hope that Emily would pick up because she was worried that something had happened. But she didn't want Emily to get mad at her when she found out that there was no crisis, so she decided to get really drunk and play it off as a drunk-dial.

She was planning to be a jovial drunk and remind Emily of all the fun times that they had together. Maybe, then, they could start talking again. But she hadn't accounted for the fact that alcohol worked like a truth serum on her, and, before she knew it, she was spilling her guts. "I'm out here by myself, and I miss all of my friends, and I don't want to make any new friends, and the person who means the most to me in the world won't even talk to me anymore!"

Emily could hear that Paige was doing her best not to cry, and it was making her feel like crying herself. "I'm sorry, Paige! I'm sorry! I miss you, too!"

"Well, why did you stop taking my calls?"

Emily almost told Paige the real reason: That it was just too hard to talk to Paige, because talking to Paige led to wanting Paige, and wanting Paige led to a dead end. Almost. But she was the sober one, still able to keep a lock on her true feelings. "I'm sorry. I've just been… going through some – stuff."

"But why can't you talk to me about it?" Paige whined. "I can listen!"

"I know that you can, Paige. It's just…"

"Oh, okay." Paige was fuming, the alcohol acting like a magnifying glass for her every emotion. "You have your other friends. I get it."

"Paige…" Emily's voice was pleading.

"Okay, so I should go, now," Paige said. She somehow managed to stop herself before she added, "Have a nice life." Instead, she went with, "I'll talk to you, sometime."

"Paige?" Emily held the phone away from her face and saw that the call had ended. _Shit_ , she thought. _I really fucked that up._

In her apartment in San Francisco, Paige was kicking herself for stupidly having tried to do fix things when she was drunk.

 _Shit_ , she thought. _I really fucked that up._

Emily hit the redial button on her phone, but she canceled the call before it had a chance to go through. She couldn't fix things with Paige while Paige was in that condition. She would have to call when Paige was sober, and when they both were rested. But she would have to do it soon, before the fissure between them widened. The only problem was that she had no idea what she could possibly say.

She decided to sleep. Maybe some brilliant idea – or miraculous burst of courage – would come to her when she was fully rested and alert.

Before she put her phone away, she texted Paige, typing and deleting several times before she came up with the wording that she was after.

 **[** _Paige- We should talk. deleted_ **]**

 **[** _Paige- I'm sorry. deleted_ **]**

 **Paige- You are my [** _best friend. deleted_ **] BEST FRIEND. And I should have taken your calls. I'm so sorry. [** _that I hurt you. deleted **] [** Let's talk when we're both awake. deleted_ **] Can we talk when we're both awake? And sober. :) [** _I miss you. deleted_ **] I miss you.**

* * *

Emily's mind was racing. She needed someone to talk her down, but it was too late (or too early) to walk down the hall to her mother's room or to call Aria. She could call Hanna at any hour of the day or night, but that conversation would take too long, and she really needed to get some rest if she hoped to be at her best for her eventual call to Paige.

Besides, she remembered, she wasn't really talking to Aria and Hanna anymore.

Emily was never so grateful for the discipline that she had developed as a swimmer in high school. She had learned how to calm her mind the night before an important meet, so that she was able to get some sleep despite the fact that her thoughts were all over the place. She needed every trick in her arsenal to calm herself and get a couple more hours of sleep that morning before she had to wake up and go to work.

* * *

Work was horrible. Emily had never encountered so many inconsiderate and downright rude customers. She must have been giving off some kind of vibe.

This was not the emotional state that she wanted to be in for her talk with Paige. She went straight to her room and stretched out for a nap before the call.

She woke up and took a couple of calming breaths before she called Paige at precisely 9:30 - 6:30 in California. If Paige was still holding to her Saturday schedule from Rosewood, she would have finished dinner and settled in to read and relax for a bit.

Emily was nervous, not only about what she was going to say, but also because Paige had, apparently, been too hungover, too tired, too busy, or to angry to have texted her back. Maybe Paige didn't even remember the call.

But Emily had texted that she would call, so she called.

Emily was surprised when Paige picked up on the first ring: No playing it cool, no making her sweat.

"I'm sorry," Paige said, by way of greeting.

"I guess we both are," Emily said in reply.

"I should never have called you in that condition."

"Can we just start over?" Emily asked.

"Sure," Paige said, and let it drop. Emily realized that she was going to have to start. That was fair. She was the one who had broken off communication, and she was the one who had asked to talk.

"So, the reason that I've been so withdrawn lately is that I've been thinking a lot… about… Samara."

"Oh. I see." Paige wasn't surprised.

"I've been thinking about, maybe, getting back together with her, and I knew what all my friends would say, and I just couldn't handle all the confusion."

"Okay." Paige's response was flat. Emily was frustrated. She wanted Paige to tell her what a stupid idea it was. She wanted her to say that she deserved better. She wanted Paige to say anything other than just, "Okay."

The fact was that Paige had a lot to say, but, since Emily had said that she didn't want her friends to confuse her, Paige held her tongue.

"So, what did you decide?" Paige finally asked.

"I decided that I was stupid to shut my friends out." Paige inhaled once, then another time, as though she were about to speak. When Emily realized that Paige wasn't going to say anything, she continued. "So, I'm asking you, Paige. What do you think?"

"Well," Paige said, slowly and deliberately, "I mean, I never really knew much about your relationship. I'm willing to listen, though."

 _Oh, great,_ Emily thought. The last thing that she wanted to do was rehash her relationship with Samara. Especially with Paige. She was cursing herself for the choice of Samara as the excuse for having stopped talking to her friends.

"So, first of all, why did you two break up?"

 _She wasn't you_ , Emily wished she could say. Actually, she wished that she didn't _have_ to say it, but, since Paige wasn't picking up on that fact, Emily found herself flailing around for words. "It was just… I mean, I just…" Emily kept sighing as she tried to figure out how to sum it up. "We just didn't fit, you know?"

"Uh huh."

"I mean – say, you had an apartment that you had kind of outgrown." Emily had compared her relationship with Samara to an old car, and now she was comparing it to a lousy apartment. That had to say something about why they should never even have been together in the first place. Emily kept going. "But everything you own was in that apartment, and moving is such a pain, so you just keep renewing the lease from year to year, until finally, you realize…"

"You'd be better off homeless?"

"Ouch," Emily winced. She wasn't expecting a response from Paige, and certainly not a response as caustic as that.

"Sorry – I'm sorry," Paige said. "I should really think before I speak."

Emily laughed it off. "Let's just say, you'd be better off moving back in with your parents. Only, that has its frustrations, too. And you just start to wonder – _I_ just started to wonder – like, maybe that old apartment wasn't so bad after all."

Paige nodded into her phone. "Well, has Samara changed?"

"What do you mean?"

"It just seems, to me, that, if you go back to the same apartment, you're just exchanging one set of frustrations for another. Unless something has changed in the apartment."

"I don't know, Paige. I just wish that you were…" Emily caught herself before she said, "available." But she had to come up with something else before things got too awkward. "My girlfriend?" – no, that would be even worse. "Here," she finally settled on, to get something out there before the buzzer. She chuckled nervously, and Paige chuckled nervously in reply. "And, why _aren't_ you here?" she added melodramatically, just to drive home the point that she was only kidding.

"I know, right?" Paige replied, feeling more comfortable playing the statement off as a joke. But, she added soberly, "There's certainly nothing keeping me here."

"Oh, yeah!" Emily seized the opportunity to get the subject off of her and Samara. And, maybe, to figure out whether or not Paige wanted to come back to Rosewood. "We haven't talked about your internship! How's it going? Last I heard, they loved you, McCullers!"

Paige laughed. "Well, fortunately, they still do. I guess. I mean, if the job were all that mattered, it'd be an easy decision, but…"

"But?"

"There's a lot more to life than work, you know?"

"Yeah. I know."

"I really miss what I had in Rosewood, to be honest."

"So, why don't you come back? We're all still here!" Emily's tone was enthusiastic. She was relieved that her words hadn't come out as desperate.

"It's complicated."

"Hmm." Emily tried to keep the attitude out of her scoff. "Well," she said cheerfully, "If you ever need a listening ear or a biased opinion…"

Paige chuckled. "I think you mean an _un_ biased opinion."

"Paige," Emily said softly, "You _know_ what I mean."

"Yeah." Paige cleared her throat. "So, listen," she said, in a tone that meant good-bye, and Emily almost screamed. _Don't you dare rush off the phone after I just told you_ ** _twice_** _that I want you to come back to me!_ But Paige plodded on. "I should probably get going."

Emily let out a long sigh. As annoyed as she was that Paige was deliberately leaving her in suspense, she managed to make the sigh sound whiny, not angry. It was more like the sigh of a child who wanted another five minutes of TV before she had to go to bed.

"It was great talking with you again, Emily. Really. I really missed this."

"I did, too, Paige."

"We'll talk soon, okay?"

"Yeah, we will."

* * *

It was almost exactly 45 minutes later that Paige's phone rang again, this time announcing a call from Hanna. "Hello?" Paige said tentatively, not sure what mood Hanna would be in.

"Hey, Cali girl!" Hanna oozed.

Paige chuckled, now relaxed. "So how's my favorite blonde?"

"Stunning! And how are things in the Sunshine State?"

"The _Golden_ State," Paige corrected. "Florida is the Sunshine State."

"Whatever," Hanna said, and kept going. "So, thank you. For getting Emily to talk to us again."

"My pleasure," Paige said, "Although, to be honest, she would have contacted you, anyway. She just needed time to process things, you know. About Samara."

"What about Samara?"

"You know, she's thinking of giving it another go." Paige's statement was met with silence. "With Samara," she added, uncomfortable over the silence.

"Uh, _no_!"

"She didn't tell you?"

"Paigey. Emily is _not_ thinking about getting back together with Samara. And if she told you that…" Hanna stifled a gasp when the light went on. "If she told you that, it was just because she wanted you to fight for her."

"Hanna," Paige said condescendingly, "Don't be ridiculous."

"Paige." Hanna's tone was stern. "We're not going to argue about who's Emily's best friend, whatever she may have told you in that little text. But we both know that, at least right now, I know a hell of a lot more than you do about how Emily thinks. And there's only one reason that she would tell you that she's thinking about getting back with Samara."

"And that's because..."

"Yes, it's _because_." Paige was stunned into silence. "I'm just saying, Paige. Don't mess her around. She's very vulnerable, right now."

"Hanna, I would never."

"Well, don't. She said that _you_ were the one who talked about coming back to Rosewood. And, if you were just saying that, then you tell her that you were just saying it. If you're serious, then take your time and think it over. But don't let her think that you might come back to her if you're…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I never said anything about coming back to _her._ "

"Paige," Hanna pleaded, "Whatever you said, that's what she heard. And that's what you meant, isn't it?"

Paige sighed. "Yes," she said, meekly.

"Don't play games with me," Hanna said. "Or her. Or yourself."

"Okay, Hanna. Do you want to know what I think? Yes, I would love to start something with Emily. I've felt that since the first time that I saw her. But I held back once I found out that she was in a relationship. And now that she's single, if I make a try for her, she's going to think that I'm being manipulative."

"Manipulative?"

"Yeah. I told her that she shouldn't get back together with Samara…"

"Paige." Hanna was talking slowly, because Paige was obviously not getting it. "She never wanted to get back together with Samara. She wanted you to tell her that you don't want her to get back together with Samara."

"So you're saying…"

"Yes, I'm saying, Paige!" Hanna couldn't help yelling. She was a little tired of having to fix things between these two idiots.

"Fine, okay? Fine, Hanna." These two phone conversations had left Paige exhausted. "Listen, I should probably get going…"

"Oh yeah. And that's another thing. Never say that to Emily again, okay?"

Paige was stunned at the venom in Hanna's voice. "I… uh… I… okay. I'm sorry."

"Okay. And, Paige?"

"Yeah?"

"Emily's not the only one who cares about you," Hanna said empathetically.

"Thanks, Hanna."

"Do the right thing," Hanna said, adding cheerfully, "Love you, girl!"

* * *

Paige needed to process the conversation with Hanna. Emily had obviously called Hanna right after she talked with Paige, and the two of them must have delved into the minutiae of Emily's recent interactions with Paige, since Hanna knew that Emily had called Paige her best friend in that text. Also, there was the fact that Hanna scolded Paige for the way that she had ended the phone call with Emily. However hard Paige found it to believe what Hanna had to say about why Emily brought Samara up, it was harder for her to disregard the harshness in Hanna's tone when she warned Paige not to do that again. Emily had obviously been hurt by it, and not just best-friend hurt. This was something deeper.

* * *

Emily smiled when she heard her phone ring, assuming that Hanna was calling her back, since they had just hung up not five minutes earlier. When she saw that it was Paige, she collapsed onto her bed, defeated. Hanna had just rebuilt Emily's fragile ego after round one with Paige. Emily wasn't solid enough yet to face round two.

Before she picked up the phone, she reached for the box of tissues that she had only just put away, after ending the call with Hanna. "Hello?" she said weakly, ready just to give up and take whatever Paige had to say to her.

"Hi, Emily," Paige said, and she jumped right in to the reason for the call. "So, listen. I know that you offered to talk it through with me, but I've made my decision. I'm coming back to Rosewood."


	15. Back Where She Belongs

When Paige made the decision to go back to Rosewood, she had finished the six-month internship and started working on another project. She gave the firm notice of her intent to transfer, but before she could leave, she had six weeks of work to wrap up the project.

"Are you sure?" Jackie asked as she hugged Paige good-bye at the going-away luncheon at the office.

"I know that you think I'm crazy," Paige said, "But, yeah. I mean, it may seem like a rash decision, but I've been thinking it over ever since I came back from Rosewood. I know that I can't just run away from Emily anymore. Either we'll get together, or we'll just be friends, but I'm not going to be happy if we're nothing at all." Paige realized that she was giving more of an answer than Jackie was interested in. "If that even makes sense," she added dismissively.

"Well, you deserve to be happy," Jackie said, with a warm smile. "And if _that woman_ makes you happy..." This time, she was joking when she referred to Emily that way. Paige rolled her eyes. "Seriously, though." Jackie took a step back and pointed her finger at Paige. "Don't fuck this up, okay, McCullers? I don't want to see you back here!"

Paige was glad that Jackie was joking about it, because, if it weren't for that, Paige would definitely have dissolved into a puddle of tears. "I don't even have the words, Jackie," Paige said, giving her another hug. "You've been more than a great friend to me."

"Don't use the past tense," Jackie said. "You'd better keep in touch! I'm coming to your wedding!"

* * *

Emily was counting down the days to Paige's return, full of nervous energy. She had high hopes for Paige's return to Philadelphia.

Even if they were to remain nothing except friends, Paige was a great friend.

Whenever her nerves got the best of her, Emily would open the top drawer of her dresser and take out the framed picture of Paige from the miniature golf course, where she was smiling as she leaned on her club. There was something about the picture that grounded Emily; something in Paige's confident stance. It reminded her of how well they fit together; how they connected from their very first meeting, when Paige stopped in at The Brew.

Deep down, Emily knew that everything would work out. But knowing that didn't keep the nerves away.

* * *

Emily was nearing the end of her shift on a Saturday afternoon when the bell jingled over the door and she looked up to see Aria's smiling face.

"Hey, Aria! The usual?"

Aria nodded and waited as Emily made her soy latte. Instead of taking a seat, she leaned against the front counter as she sipped. The lunch rush was over, and there were only a few customers for Emily to attend to.

"So, tomorrow's the big day," Aria said, with an enthusiastic smile. Emily nodded and smiled, lowering her head to look at the counter as she wiped it down. "Do you know what you're going to wear?"

Emily sighed. "Nothing special," she said. "I don't want to go over the top, you know?" Aria nodded. "Probably just a white t-shirt with that black leather vest and some jeans."

"That sounds perfect. Keep it simple, right?"

"Hanna would be telling me to wear a low-cut evening dress, or something!"

"Right? 'Go get your girl!' " Aria joked, mimicking Hanna's voice.

It was actually Hanna who had sent Aria to check on Emily. She knew that, if she went herself, she would only make Emily more nervous.

"Oh, God!" Emily said at Aria's impersonation of Hanna. "That's the last thing that I need."

"How about we go for a walk after you finish up here?"

Emily looked around the room. It was pretty low-key. "That sounds like a great idea, Aria. I can probably clock out as soon as you finish your latte."

* * *

"So, have you talked to your dad?" Aria asked, as they stopped to check out the window display at an antiques store. Emily nodded with the smile that always came when she thought about her father. "What did he say?"

"You know my Dad," Emily said. "He likes to listening more than giving advice."

"Yeah," Aria agreed, "but when he _does_ give advice, it's..."

"On point!" Emily finished.

"So what did he say?"

Emily tilted her head back, trying to think how to summarize her father's advice. "He said, basically, that, if something comes too easily, then it's probably not worth it. You know? Like, Samara was easy. We could've stayed together for years, just doing the same thing over and over again. But, he said, that I shouldn't be put off by the fact that things are so complicated with Paige. He said that the things that you have to fight for are the things that will last, because they're precious to you."

Aria nodded. "That sounds reasonable."

"Yeah." Emily thought a little bit more.

"So, how do you feel about it?"

Emily sighed. "I just want her here, already. It's the not-knowing that's killing me."

Aria nodded sympathetically, squeezing Emily's arm for support.

* * *

Paige didn't start freaking out until the morning of her flight. She was used to traveling in comfortable clothes - a warm up suit or shorts and a t-shirt - but, all of a sudden, she realized that it was going to be Emily meeting her on the other end. She started rifling through her suitcase.

She fired off a text in desperation.

 **Paige McC: leaving for the airport in an hour & I have no idea what to wear. HELP!**

 **Spncr: Good God, Paige! Freak out a little! You're meeting her at the airport, not proposing!  
Spncr: Or are you? **

**Paige McC: HELP ME!**

 **Spncr: Be. Yourself.**

 _Be myself. Be myself,_ Paige thought. _I can do this._ She went back to her original outfit: Oversized basketball shorts, a ribbed tank, and a Stanford cap. She looked herself over in the mirror. It seemed too aloof, as if she were trying to pretend that it wasn't a big deal that she was coming back to Rosewood.

Paige flopped down on the bed. _What says I'm happy to be back in Pennsylvania?_ When it hit her, she put her index finger in the air, and actually said, "Aha!" out loud and rummaged through her suitcase to find her Phillies jersey. She took a look and gave her reflection a thumbs up. The jersey made the outfit look a little warmer.

* * *

"Do you want me to go to the airport with you?" Hanna asked, not at all joking.

"Nope," Emily replied tersely. She wanted Paige all to herself.

"Are you sure?"

"Yep!"

The drive to Philadelphia was a blur. Before she knew it, Emily was standing at the escalators by Baggage Claim, scanning the crowds for Paige's face. When she saw Paige, they both broke into smiles, and Emily bounced from heel to toe, waiting for Paige to separate herself from the crowd so that she could run up and greet her.

Things were different, this time. When Emily ran up to Paige, she followed her hug with a kiss to Paige's cheek. She would never have dared to do that before.

But the differences weren't all positive, though. Their conversation, which had always been easy and natural, had become stilted and downright awkward. Emily almost wished that she had taken Hanna up on her offer to ride to the airport with her. But she was sure that it was just jet-lag. And she wasn't going to let anything bring down her mood.

* * *

When things were still awkward at the resumption of their Wednesday lunches, Emily was still willing to explain it away. They just needed time to get back into their groove, she decided, although they had never had a problem falling into step before.

As they continued to spend time together, and it continued to be uneasy and forced, Emily realized that she was telling herself the same thing that she used to tell herself about Samara: "It'll get better; just stick it out."

Emily ran out of rationalizations. After another deathly awkward lunch, Emily was about to put Paige out of her misery and tell her that she didn't have to come by anymore. For the remainder of her shift, she started regretting that she had ever asked Paige to come back to Rosewood. At least Paige had a job that she loved in California. And that's when it hit her: Paige had given up her dream job to come back to Rosewood. It was no wonder she was so distant. She was trying to get over her regret.

* * *

When Emily got home that night, she went straight to her room, closed the door, and sat down on her bed. She held her head in her hands for a few minutes before she worked her way down the hall to her parents' room.

"Hi, Honey," Pam said a little tentatively, reading Emily's body language.

Emily plopped herself on the bed, staring at her hands in her lap. "I've done a horrible thing, Mom."

Pam sat down on the bed, smiling to herself, sure that Emily was just being overly dramatic. But when she saw that Emily was struggling not to break down, she realized that she needed to take things seriously. "Oh, I'm sure that it's not so bad, Emmy. Why don't you tell me what happened."

Emily let out a deep sigh and turned, slightly, so that she could look into her mother's face. "I know how hard it is for you with Dad gone so much of the time." Pam was confused. She had assumed that this was about Paige. "But you know how much his career means to him, and you would never ask him to quit, right?" Pam leaned her head in. She had given serious thought to asking Wayne to quit the army on more than one occasion, but she didn't need to bring that up with Emily. She could see that Emily was making a point. "Because, that's what I did. I asked Paige to leave a great job for me, and now she resents me for it."

"Emmy, I don't think that she resents you." Pam was careful of her tone. She didn't want to downplay Emily's concerns, nor did she want to come across as unconcerned. "Don't you think that she wanted to come back?"

"I did. But, now that she's back, it's just awkward, and... bad, and it was never like that before."

"And you think that it's because..."

"Because she resents me. Or she resents the fact that she gave up her job for me."

"Emmy, you didn't make her give up her job. She made that choice."

"But she wouldn't have made it if I hadn't asked her to."

"And I wouldn't have married your father if he hadn't asked me to. But that doesn't mean that it wasn't what I wanted."

"Mom..."

"Did you ask Paige about it?"

Emily shook her head. "I'm afraid."

"You're afraid that she'll get mad at you?"

"I'm afraid that she'll tell me the truth. Or that she'll lie to me, and we'll be stuck in this awkward place forever."

Pam reached her arm around her daughter's back. "I know that it's scary, Honey. But it's not going to get better unless you talk about it. That's something that your father and I had to learn years ago. It's like a bad tooth. It might hurt to go to the dentist, but, if you leave it alone, it's not going to get any better. It's only going to get worse. More painful." Emily nodded into her mother's shoulder. "Do you want _me_ to talk to her for you?" Pam asked quietly.

Emily sat up immediately. "Fine, Mom. I'll talk to her."

She knew that Pam actually _would_ call Paige, and the last thing that Emily wanted was to have her mom talk to Paige about her insecurities.

* * *

Paige was frustrated. And confused. And angry with herself. She was so close to what she had wanted for almost two years, but she could feel it slipping away. And it was her fault.

She needed to clear her head. She got dressed and went for a run.

She had just started to build up a sweat when she ran - almost literally - into Spencer, who was on her way back from the same trail. They both skidded to a halt and leaned with their hands on their knees, as much out of relief over not having crashed into each other as out of the need to catch their breath.

"Well, hello," Spencer said, once she had steadied her breathing and her heart rate. "I'm surprised that I haven't run into you before now."

"I know," Paige said, leaning her back against a tree. "We need to get back into the gym together."

"Saturdays still good for you?" Paige nodded, and Spencer nodded back. "So, what are you doing to my best friend?"

Paige was caught off guard by the bluntness of the question, but Spencer's tone was even, not angry or accusatory. "Why? What have you heard?"

Spencer shook her head. "Not good things."

Paige sank down onto the grass. Spencer joined her, sitting cross-legged across from her, looking into her eyes for a reply.

"I don't know, Spencer. Have you ever been so close to something that you're just terrified?"

"But this is Emily. You guys have always been friends. Ever since the beginning. That's what has Emily so confused, too. It was never awkward between the two of you. Not even when it should have been."

"I would explain it if I could, Spencer. I don't know why it's this hard. When she's not there, I can't wait to see her, and when she's there, I can't even remember my name."

Spencer put an arm on Paige's shoulder. "You need to fix it. Quickly."

Paige laughed nervously. "Do you have any idea how I can do that?"

Spencer stood up, so Paige did the same, pacing nervously. "This is what I've observed about the two of you," Spencer said. "You tend not to let each other know what's going on. Either you're afraid how the other person will react, or you assume that she knows what you're thinking. But that strategy doesn't really work, does it?"

Paige sighed. "No, it doesn't."

"So?"

"I need to talk to her."

"Don't be afraid to admit to her that you're afraid, Paige. I'm sure that she's afraid, too."

"Are you kidding? I left a great job and came back to Rosewood for her. She should know..."

"You'd be surprised what people do and don't know." Paige raised an eyebrow, but Spencer didn't offer an explanation. "You need to talk to _her_ about it, not me."

* * *

 **A/N - I am so, so, so sorry - especially to those of you whom I PM-ed to say that the Paily happy times would be back in this chapter. I promise that I'm not just stringing you along. I honestly thought that I could get to it in this chapter, but it took longer to tell the story of Paige's return than I anticipated.**

 **But Paige is back in Rosewood, so that's good, right? And they'll definitely get back in stride tomorrow.**

 **Thanks so much for sticking with this story! :)**


	16. We Need to Talk

**A/N - Guest: "** **Why is Paige the one always being hounded by Emily's friends to resolve whatever issue is bothering both of them?"**

 **Thanks for pointing this out. I actually hadn't picked up on it. I guess, in my head, Emily's friends are hounding Emily, as well (except when Hanna reached out to Paige because Emily had shut them out of their lives), although I didn't write that part of the story (choosing to show Emily's parents giving her the "fix it" advice). What I was hoping to do by showing Emily's friends confronting Paige was to make the point that they have become Paige's friends, too; - that they've become close enough to confront her.  
**

 **Sorry that it came off as one-sided... Maybe we can put that down to Emily's friends being protective of her?**

 **I hope this answers your question Again, thanks for bringing it to my attention. I'll try to be more aware of this from now on!**

* * *

Paige seemed happy to hear Emily's voice when she picked up the phone. Emily greeted her quickly, and immediately launched into the reason that she was calling. "I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry, Paige."

"Sorry? Sorry for what?"

Emily sighed. "I mean, I know that you didn't give up your job for me, but I know that I was the one who told you that you should come back to Rosewood. And I shouldn't have done that. It wasn't fair."

"What do you mean, Emily? I'm glad that I came back to Rosewood. You know that."

"You don't have to say that, Paige. I can tell how upset you are."

Paige wasn't getting it. She had no regrets about leaving California. "Emily, where is this coming from?"

"Come on, Paige. You can be honest with me. We can't even talk anymore. And it took me a while, but I finally figured out why." Emily couldn't help that her voice was breaking.

"Emily, you can't honestly think…" Paige was at a loss for words.

"I'm not blaming you, Paige. It's my fault. That's why I'm apologizing."

"Em, can we…" Paige let out a frustrated sigh. "I can't do this over the phone, Emily. Can we go somewhere?"

Emily gasped at that statement and choked on her attempts to reply. She took several shaky breaths before she was able to let out a weak "Okay." After what she had done to Paige, she owed Paige the opportunity to give her the bad news face to face.

* * *

Emily was waiting on the front step, with her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands, when Paige walked up. Emily didn't tell her mother that she had spoken with Paige or that Paige was coming over to break her heart. She had to face this on her own.

Paige smiled at Emily sympathetically and extended a hand to help her up. "Are you hungry?" Paige asked, and Emily nodded. She couldn't eat, but she thought that it was best not to shrug her shoulders at Paige's question, worried that doing so would only make things worse.

Paige didn't let go of Emily's hand after she helped her up. They walked down the quiet streets hand-in-hand, something that had never been the norm for them. Emily was actually clinging to Paige's hand with both of her hands. That was the only thing keeping her from falling apart.

Paige led them to The Grille, and the host showed them to a table. When their server arrived, they both told her that they were okay with just the glasses of water that she had placed on their table. "Do you have a box of tissues or some napkins?" Emily asked. The server returned a moment later with a stack of napkins which she placed in front of Emily while shooting Paige an accusing glare. Paige smiled at her, nervously.

"Friend of yours?" Paige asked Emily after the server left, trying to break the palpable tension

Emily shook her head no. "Thanks," she said softly, "for not doing this where I work."

Paige wasn't sure why Emily was so upset about the California thing, but she realized that she'd better get right into the talk, if they were going to be able to enjoy their meal. She pushed the menus aside and looked purposefully into Emily's eyes. "Emily, when I was twelve, I had a cousin who was two years old. He adored me, from what my aunt said."

 _Really? She thinks that I'm some kid with a crush on her?_ Emily was trying not to be insulted or to get upset over the fact that, after all that they had been through together, Paige looked at her like some kind of lovesick pre-adolescent little girl. Getting upset wouldn't help. Paige was in Rosewood now, and Emily would just have to prove to her that what she felt was real.

Paige noticed that Emily was miles away, and she grabbed her hands. "Are you okay?"

Emily nodded. "I'm listening."

"Okay, so, my aunt said that he used to talk about me all the time. He even made up songs and sang them about me." Paige chuckled at the memory, now looking down at Emily's hands as they nervously picked at her menu. "But, here's the thing: Whenever I came to visit, he just clammed up. He couldn't even speak to me. It was just too much."

Emily reached for the stack of napkins, grabbing one and daubing at her eyes with it. Paige pressed on. "Emily, I left Rosewood for one reason, and I came back for one reason. _You._ I left because it was too painful to be around you when you were with someone else. And I came back because. Well, you know why I came back. And, now that I'm here, I feel just like my little cousin. I want to tell you everything. I want to do everything with you. I want to… make up songs about you." Paige smiled at the thought, looking off toward the ceiling. "But, now that you're in front of me, and you're – at least theoretically available, it's too much. It's too intimidating. I just don't even know where to start with you." Paige moved her hands and her gaze to her lap.

Emily had never seen Paige like this. She let out a deep breath, her body falling forward as the air escaped her lungs. She reached across the table and stroked Paige's arms and, when she did, Paige returned her hands on the table, clasping them in front of her. "Paige," Emily said, grabbing each of Paige's hands from the bottom and squeezing them tight. "I'm still _me –_ Emily," she said, leaning her face very close to Paige's. Paige was still looking into her lap. "Paige… Hey!" Emily said, finally getting Paige to look her in the eyes. Emily bit her lip and leaned her head in again, waiting for Paige to respond.

"Okay, Em. Do you know what it's like swimming when you've got nothing to lose? You're loose, and you can go out and swim your game, not worrying about the competition? But, then you look up when you turn your head to breathe, and you see that you're actually gaining on the other girl, and you think, 'I actually have a chance to win this thing,' and that realization makes you lose your rhythm and start to tighten up?"

Emily did her best not to roll her eyes. Paige was killing her with these comparisons. But Paige had been vulnerable and honest. Emily knew that it was her turn. She took a deep breath. "I guess you never realized how I felt about you when you were in Rosewood," she said, looking down at the tabletop.

Paige deflated. She knew that it was a mistake to be so honest and tell Emily all that she was feeling. She put Emily in the position where she would have to be blunt with her. Paige braced herself for being friend-zoned.

"I was absolutely crazy about you." Emily paused, looking in Paige's direction. "Did you realize that?"

Paige returned Emily's gaze and answered, honestly, "No."

Emily shook her head in frustration. "When you came out to see me after Sam and I broke up, but nothing happened, I thought - well, she's a great person, a great friend, but she just doesn't think of me that way. After you left, it was sheer hell on earth. I was horrible to my friends, I didn't want to get out of bed in the morning."

Paige dipped her head. "God. I'm so sorry, Emily. I swear I didn't know,"

Emily shook her head. "It's okay."

"And now it's too late." Paige was glad that Emily had asked for the napkins.

Emily's head whipped back. "Oh, God, no! Hell no! That's what you took from this conversation?" Emily found herself laughing. "Oh, my God! We're so pathetic! We don't deserve to be in a relationship!"

Paige laughed nervously. She didn't really know what they were laughing about. Emily picked up on Paige's apprehension. "You know what? Fuck it!" she said, and she leaned across the table and kissed Paige's lips. _Someone's got to be the brave one._

When their lips parted, Emily could feel Paige starting to tense up. "Paige," she said, her voice calm but firm. "What's going on? Talk to me."

Paige was starting to freak out. She needed an exit strategy. "I... We..." Just as she was about to say that they should probably leave, she remembered how severely Hanna scolded her for running away from her phone calls with Emily that way. Plus, they hadn't even ordered yet, and their server already had it in for Paige.

"Let's just go back to the beginning, okay?" Emily said calmly, relaxing her grip on Paige's hands. "We're just friends." Paige felt her shoulders relax back into place, although she hadn't realized that she had tensed them up to begin with. "This is just a dinner between two friends." Paige nodded and stared at her place setting. "And we can take things as slowly as we need to."

"Oh, God," Paige said, finally returning Emily's gaze. "You have no idea how good that sounds."

Emily gave Paige a smile, and Paige eagerly returned it. "So, we should probably order something?" Paige said, gesturing toward their server. She came over and gave Emily a look to ask whether or not everything was okay. Emily smiled from her heart, and only then did the server speak, asking them what they wanted.

After she left to put their orders in, Paige leaned in and whispered, "I don't think that 'Meg' trusts me." She winked and shot Emily a smile.

" _I_ trust you," Emily replied, "and that's all that matters."

Before long, it was just the two of them again - just Emily and Paige, enjoying their meal and each other's company, both of them full of nervous excitement about what the future future had in store for them.

* * *

Even though Emily was relieved and happy that she and Paige had put all of the awkwardness behind them, and excited for what lay ahead for them, she was apprehensive about the "just friends" arrangement. On the one hand, her friendship with Paige had been better than her relationship with Samara - and it was certainly better than the awkward phase that followed Paige's return to Rosewood. But she didn't know how Paige would measure "taking it slowly." Emily decided that she would move at a pace that suited her. She was sure that, if it was too fast for Paige, Paige, if only by her body language, would make that fact eminently clear in time for Emily to dial it back.

It began, as Emily told Hanna during one of their weekly Saturday catch-up breakfasts, with hand-holding. Emily made a point to grab Paige's hand as often as possible: When they were walking together, when Paige was driving, when they were sitting together watching a movie.

"And Paige is okay with that?"

"Yeah. She likes it, from what I can tell."

"She doesn't freak out?"

"No, not at all."

"So, like, if you run into someone you know, she doesn't let go really quickly?"

"Nope. We've stopped and talked to people, and she never lets go. Even if she scratches her nose or something, she takes my hand along for the ride."

Hanna laughed at that. "So, that's good?"

"Yeah."

"But?"

"But... Nothing."

"Okay, it's clearly not nothing."

"I don't want to make a big deal out of it, Hanna."

"Out of what?"

"Well, she never takes my hand. I'm always the one who takes her hand."

"Uh huh."

"As I said, it's no big deal. I'm totally cool with it."

"But, what if, the next time you see her, you just don't take her hand?"

Emily cocked her head to the side. "Huh..."

Hanna perked up, clapping to herself. "So, you'll try it?"

"I _would_ be interested to see what happens."

"Yay! It's like our own little psych experiment!"

"Hanna, this is my life - my _relationship_ that we're talking about!"

"Yeah, duh! That's what makes it _our_ experiment!"

"But what if it blows up in my face?"

"Oh, come on, Em! What's the worst that could happen?"

"I don't want to go back to the way that it was before, when she first came back to Rosewood."

Hanna nodded. "I don't think that that's going to happen, though." Hanna didn't want to betray Paige's trust and tell Emily how worried Paige was, when she decided to leave California, that she would come across as manipulating Emily. But Hanna knew that this was the reason that Paige was hesitant to move too quickly. "Trust me, Em."

Emily nodded. Hanna's instincts had served her well up to this point. And, besides, she really did want to know what Paige would do.

* * *

So it was that, when Emily and Paige were taking an evening stroll through the downtown shopping district, enjoying the walking weather before the days started to get too cold, they weren't holding hands.

At first, Paige kept looking over at Emily, trying to figure out whether or not she was upset with her. Emily just smiled sweetly and kept walking. There was nothing in their conversation or in Emily's body language to indicate that she was upset about anything.

Emily noticed that Paige started walking closer to her, brushing shoulders and, occasionally, knuckles with her. Emily didn't budge, though. It had become about more than holding hands. Somewhere deep inside, Emily needed to know whether Paige would fight for her or just give up.

Emily thought that she heard Paige sigh before she put her left hand - the one on the opposite side of Emily - into the pocket of her jeans. Paige flexed her other elbow, watching the back of her hand as she balled and unballed her fingers, as if she were trying to get the feeling back after her hand had fallen asleep. She slowly straightened her arm between the two of them. The movement was tentative as she slid her hand to the other side of Emily's and gently interlaced their fingers. Emily sighed contentedly to herself, and Paige, hearing it, tightened her grip. "I like this," she said, holding their clasped hands up in front of Emily. Emily reached around with her other arm and grabbed Paige's bicep as she laid her head on Paige's shoulder. "And I _really_ like this," Paige added, barely audibly, as they kept on walking, hand in hand.

* * *

"So, she passed the test?" Hanna said excitedly into the phone.

"With flying colors," Emily breathed dreamily.

"I knew it!"

Emily laughed. "Why does this mean so much to me?"

"Because it's a big deal, Em."

"Hanna. Let's be real. It's just holding hands. Junior high kids do that!"

"It's not just holding hands, Em, and you know that. It's growth. It's what sets her apart from she-whose-name-shall-not-be-spoken. Unlike her, Paige has shown that she can change."

"Oh, whatever," Emily said cheerfully, lying on her back, looking up at her hands as she made shapes with her fingers. "I just know that it felt so good!" Emily's voice sounded as if she were floating on a cloud.

"Did she say anything?"

"She held up our hands, and she said, 'I like this.' "

"Awww!"

"And then I put my head on her shoulder, and she said, 'I _really_ like this!' " Emily bit her lip as she smiled at the memory.

"Awwww!"

"But I don't think that I was supposed to hear that comment!"

"Oh my Godiva Chocolates! Stop it right now, Emily! You're killing me with feels!"

"Right? How do you think I feel?"

"Lucky?"

"Damned lucky!"


	17. Taking It Slowly

Emily began to feel that her relationship with Paige was, finally, fully on track. Their Wednesday lunches were no longer awkward and forced, and they added Friday and Saturday dates into the mix. Friday nights were pretty low-key. They hung out at Paige's place, for the most part. Paige often came over for dinner with Emily and Pam, as well. They were more purposeful in planning Saturday dates, and they made sure that they did something fun: Bowling, dancing, getting out of Rosewood. Sometimes, they doubled (or tripled, or quintupled) with Emily's other friends.

Emily was worried, at first, how dinners with Pam and Paige would go. Pam and Samara had a connection that was more of a professional respect type of thing. Samara was much better at talking about her career and her professional goals than she was talking about her life with Emily and what their future togehther might look like. Paige, on the other hand, always downplayed her career, claiming that accounting was dull work and not the stuff of dinner conversation. Emily didn't know what Paige and her mother would talk about. Before their first dinner, she prepared a lot of anecdotes to throw in during lulls in the conversation. And she got Pam's assurance that she would be on her best behavior.

"Mom, promise me that you'll be nice to Paige."

"Oh, Emmy," Pam said jovially, "haven't I been nice to all of your girlfriends? Even your flavor-of-the-week girlfriends back in high school?"

"I know, Mom, but I'm just so nervous. I really want you guys to hit it off."

Pam gave Emily a hug. "Of course we will, Honey. I'm happy that you have someone who makes you so happy. I wouldn't do anything to mess that up, okay?"

"I know, Mom..."

"Just relax, Emmy. The only thing that can ruin this dinner is you being nervous and trying too hard."

"It's going to be okay?"

"It's going to be fine!" Pam checked the oven and went through a mental checklist for dinner. "Is Paige still bringing dessert?" Emily nodded. "Is she a good cook?"

Emily shrugged. "We'll find out!"

Paige showed up at 6:30 on the dot. Emily suspected that she had parked around the corner at 6:15 and waited until 6:29 to pull into the driveway. It just seemed like something that Paige would do. Emily greeted her at the door with a hug. Pam was right behind her with another hug.

"I come bearing homemade pastries," Paige said, handing Pam a bag from the local bakery. "Well, that's what the woman who sold them to me said!"

"A sense of humor," Pam said, winking at Emily. "This one's a keeper!"

"Mom!" Emily protested under her breath, but she couldn't help notice Paige's shy smile at hearing Pam call her a keeper.

Pam and Emily went to the kitchen to get dinner on the table. Paige followed, offering to help, but Pam insisted that she was their guest, and, for her first visit, she wasn't allowed in the kitchen. That made for the only awkward part of the evening, with Paige sitting by herself at the table not knowing what to do as food began appearing all around her. When her hosts finally joined her at the table, Paige said, "Wow! This all looks great! Are you expecting more people?"

"That's my Mom," Emily said, shaking her head with a smile. "She can't let anyone leave the table hungry, and everyone has to take something home."

"Oh, Emmy. She lives all by herself. I'm sure she that won't mind having some food to put in the fridge. Besides," she said, turning her attention to Paige and pinching the flesh on her arm, "You could use a little meat on those bones. You both could!"

Emily gawked at Paige, silently asking, "Can you believe the words that come out of her mouth?" Paige squeezed Emily's hand to let her know that it was okay. Emily, who wasn't sure what kind of physical contact Paige would be comfortable with in front of Pam, was pleased that Paige had taken the first step and set the tone.

"Well, since we're holding hands," Pam said, as she took Emily and Paige's free hands, "I'll go ahead and say grace."

If Paige were taken aback by that statement, she didn't show it. She just nodded towards Pam and bowed her head. Emily smoothed her thumb over the back of Paige's hand, to thank her for being so good about everything.

By the time dinner was over, both Paige and Emily had pain in their stomachs from laughing so hard. Emily had forgotten how funny her mother could be, and Paige just kept egging her on.

Afterwards, Emily showed Paige to the living room before she went back to help Pam clear the table and make some coffee.

There was some light conversation to go with the pastry - mainly, Paige answering Pam's questions about San Francisco and other places she'd lived. When Paige noticed Pam stifling a yawn, she stood up. "Well, I've got the gym with Spencer in the morning, so I'd better not be out too late tonight. She's murder even when I'm at my best!"

Emily stood up and took Paige's hand, swinging it a little as she led her to the kitchen. "Let me get your leftovers for you."

Paige shot Pam a stunned look. "You weren't kidding?"

"I never kid about food, Paige," Pam said soberly, maintaining a straight face.

Emily loaded container after container into two large paper shopping bags, despite Paige's protests that she could never eat all of it. On her way to the front door, she set the bags on the ground so that she could give Pam a hug. "Next time," Paige said, "You'll have to come by my place for dinner."

"It's a deal!" Pam said, smiling comfortably. "And what take-out place's food will you be serving?"

Paige picked up the bags. "From the looks of it," she said, "you'll be eating tonight's leftovers. So you know that it'll be great."

Emily picked up one of the bags, wrapping her other arm around Paige's waist. "I'll walk you to your car."

After they put the bags in the back seat, Emily clasped her hands behind Paige's back and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for coming by tonight," she said. She kissed Paige's other cheek and added, "And that's for being so good with my Mom."

"Your Mom's great, Em," Paige smiled.

"You can call her 'Pam,' you know."

"I know," Paige said, dipping her head with a shy smile. Emily noticed that Paige hadn't called her mother anything - not "Pam," not "Mrs. Fields," not "Hey, You." It was actually kind of funny, the lengths that Paige went to, to avoid having to call Pam by name.

When Paige wrapped her arms around Emily, Emily tightened her hold and laid her head on Paige's shoulder. "I can't wait to see you again," she said softly.

"I can't wait, either," Paige said as she kissed Emily on the top of her head. Emily looked up, hoping that Paige would kiss her on the lips, but Paige wasn't there yet. So, Emily smiled and pressed her forehead against Paige's, rubbing her back. "I'd better let you go," she said, her lips almost contacting Paige's as she spoke, "or we'll both have to face the wrath of Spencer!"

"You can come with us," Paige offered. "Deflect some of the heat?"

Emily laughed out loud. "Oh, no, Paige. No way. I'm not making that mistake again. Things get a little too intense when you and Spencer work out together."

Paige gave Emily her best puppy-dog look.

"Anyway," Emily continued, "I couldn't even if I wanted to. You know that Saturday morning is Hanna time!"

* * *

Paige was grateful for Spencer's friendship. It wasn't just that, in a lot of ways, they were alike; it also helped to have someone whom she could talk to about Emily, the way that Emily had Hanna to talk to about Paige. Paige had dated, but never seriously, and she was plagued with an underlying fear that she was going to mess things up. Spencer and Toby had, probably, the longest, most stable relationship of any of Emily's friends, and Spencer was a bright, no-nonsense woman. Paige came to rely on her judgment and insight.

"How slowly is too slowly?" Paige asked as she and Spencer relaxed with their post-workout smoothies (or, as Emily called them, "disgusting liquefied-grass drinks).

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Emily and I agreed that we would take things slowly, but I'm afraid that I'm frustrating her."

"I see."

"I'm just afraid that she needs more from me. From our relationship."

"What has she said about it?"

"Well, we've never really discussed it, except when we first agreed that we would take it slowly."

"And, that's the problem, isn't it? You've never discussed it."

"I'm just afraid that..."

"What?"

"Well, she wasn't getting what she needed from Samara..."

"She didn't just up and leave Samara because she got a better offer, Paige. She tried to make things work, but, when she realized that Samara wasn't as invested, she broke things off."

"Huh," Paige huffed. "Well, that's good to know. I mean, I'd hate to think that I broke the two of them up. Especially if it turns out that I'm not good enough for Emily."

"What makes you think that you're not good enough?"

"That's why I'm asking about what's too slow."

"Has she given you any indication that she's dissatisfied?"

"Would _you_ be satisfied?"

"That doesn't make any difference. You're not dating me."

"So, what would you do if you wanted things to move faster with Toby?"

"Paige..."

"Or, what if Toby were moving faster than you were comfortable with?"

"Paige..."

"Because, if I try to go faster and I overcompensate..." Paige knew that she was rambling. That's why she was glad that it was Spencer, not Emily, who was on the receiving end.

"Paige. I don't believe in the whole non-verbal communication thing. Emily isn't an engine that flashes a light when it's running too hot or too cold. She's a human being, with the power of speech. Speak to her."

* * *

On the other side of town, the same subject was under discussion, but with less cold, hard logic.

"Ugh! Hanna! I can't take it anymore!"

"Okay." Hanna said patiently. "What's the latest Paige drama?"

"It's so frustrating! Why won't she kiss me?"

"Did you talk to her about it?"

"I can't talk to her, Hanna. I told her that we could take things as slowly as she wanted. What am I supposed to say, 'Just kidding?' "

"So, you won't wait for her?"

"Yes, of course, I'll wait for her, Hanna! It's just frustrating. We're there, and we're so close, and the moment is right..."

"And you just want to jam your tongue down her throat?"

Emily had to laugh. "Well, yeah. I mean, not in so many words. We're just - we're so connected, you know? And it feels natural for us to connect physically, too. Not sex, Hanna," Emily added quickly, knowing what was going through Hanna's head. " I just want to touch her, to kiss her, to... leave my mark all over her body!" Emily said with a laugh. It was Hanna, so she could talk that way.

"Is it a deal-breaker?"

"No. Oh, no. Of course not. I just don't get it, that's all. Is there something wrong with me? Is it a religious thing? Is there something wrong with _her_?"

"Only one person who can answer that question, Babe. And she's not at this table."

Emily sighed. "I know, Hanna."

"Talk to her."

"I know, Hanna."

"It's either that or learn to live with it."

Emily sighed. "I know, Hanna."

* * *

Emily was lying on her side on the couch, the darkness of Paige's living room broken only by "Once Upon a Time" on the TV that was mounted above her fireplace. Emily's head was on her hands in Paige's lap, and Paige was idly combing her fingers through Emily's long, dark hair. It felt so good - to both of them.

During a commercial, Emily reached for the remote and muted the TV. She rolled over and looked up at Paige. It was a very vulnerable position, which seemed best for what she was about to ask.

"Paige?" she said softly, and Paige smiled down at her, looking very much like an angel in the dim glow of the room. "Have you dated a lot of women?"

"Have I dated a lot of women," Paige stated evenly, not giving anything away.

"I'm only asking because, you just seem a little... hesitant to push things. With me. I don't know. Forget it." Emily rolled back on her side and unmuted the TV.

Paige breathed a sigh of relief internally. She started in on Emily's hair again, but when Emily sighed for a second time, Paige grabbed the remote and muted the TV again. "Which question?" Paige asked plainly.

"What do you mean?" Emily asked, still facing the TV.

"Which one do you want the answer to? Did I date a lot, or why am I afraid."

Emily shrugged. "Both," she said softly. Turning up to face Paige again, she stroked Paige's cheek and said, "Whatever you're comfortable telling me."

Paige shifted her position and nudged Emily so that Emily was tucked in under her arm. "Okay. Well, I've been on my share of dates, but, you know. Just casual." Emily nodded, gently rubbing Paige's stomach, to let her know that she was getting what Paige was saying. "But when it comes to you," Paige threw her head back against the cushions of the couch and exhaled. "I guess, Emily, when you get to a certain age, you start thinking about what you really want, and we're you're really headed. It's not like college, where you're just out for a bit of fun." Emily pulled back from Paige so that she could look her in the eyes. Without realizing that she was doing it, she had bunched up the fabric of Paige's shirt that had been underneath her palm. "So, when it comes to you, I guess I'm just scared that I'm going to fuck things up."

"Oh." Emily didn't know quite what to make of this. When she spoke, she spoke slowly, both because she wanted to choose her words carefully, and because she was afraid how Paige would react. "So... you're not used to... the kind of relationship... where people work things out?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean... when things get dodgy... you tend to... avoid the situation, rather than resolve it." Emily was starting to pick up some steam, and the words were coming faster. "Like, on the phone, when you say, 'I should probably get going,' or when we're talking and you find an excuse to leave. Or, even when you went to California..." _Oops_. Emily realized that the words had come out _too_ fast.

"Emily, that's not why I went to California, and you know it!"

"I know. I'm sorry, Paige. I shouldn't have said that."

"But that's what you think? You think if things get rough I'm just going to go back?"

"No, I don't think that at all," Emily pleaded.

Paige stood up and took a deep breath. She rubbed her forehead, looking at the ground. "Look, Emily. We're both tired. Maybe we should call it a night."

Emily stood in front of Paige and grabbed both of her hands. "Don't you see, Paige?" she said calmly, not raising her voice. "What you're doing right now? If we're a couple, we work things out." Emily furrowed her eyebrows, begging Paige to see it her way.

Paige released Emily's hands and rubbed her own temples, with a low groan. After a few seconds, she slapped her hands on her thighs and said, "You're right! You're right!" Before Emily knew what was happening, Paige's arms were locked behind Emily's back as she yanked her in for a kiss. The kiss was forceful, passionate, and long. It was totally out of the blue. It took a second for Emily to catch up. Her arms were trapped between their bodies, so she reached out and took hold of Paige's shoulders as she began to return the kiss. As she surrendered to Paige's lips, she realized that this was more than just a kiss. It was a commitment. Paige had never felt comfortable going any further with Emily, because she hadn't felt secure enough in their commitment. Emily wasn't one of those casual dates whom Paige could kiss and kiss off. With Emily, it was all or nothing. By kissing her, Paige was professing her belief in what they had and in where they were going together.

Spencer's words echoed in Paige's head: "I'm not into non-verbal communication." "Emily," she said hesitantly somewhat comforted in the semi-anonymity that the dim light of the muted TV afforded her. Emily looked at her with an expectant smile, and Paige continued. "I... love - I love you."

Emily didn't know whether to smile in relief or to kiss her. She did both. "Oh, God, Paige!" she said between the long, deep kisses, "I love you, too!" As they hugged, their heads on each other's shoulders, Emily said, barely above a whisper, "That's so nice to hear."

* * *

When the mood evened out again, Paige and Emily settled back onto the couch. Paige turned the volume up on the TV, though neither of them was watching it. After a few minutes, Emily felt comfortable enough to speak, so she muted it again.

"Paige," Emily said, rubbing her girlfriend's stomach as she lay with her head on Paige's shoulder, "I never told you why Samara and I broke up, did I?"

Paige couldn't hold back a sigh. "Do you want to?" she asked.

Emily nodded. "I never told you, in part because I thought that it might make you feel guilty, and in part because it's... hard to admit it. Out loud."

"Okay," Paige said. She started to sit up, recognizing that it was about to get serious, but Emily nudged her back down against the couch. Emily needed to be in the safety of Paige's embrace.

"It was you, Paige," Emily breathed, echoing the reason that Paige had given her for returning to Rosewood. "When we had our Wednesday lunches, it was as if my life were in full color. Three-D. HD. Everything was vibrant and alive. And, when you moved to California, I realized how dull and gray life with Samara was. There was no going back." Emily sat up, bracing herself with one hand on Paige's thigh. "Paige," she continued, "I didn't break up with Samara because of anything that she did wrong, or didn't do well enough." Emily reached for Paige's chin, to keep her from looking away. "I broke up with Samara because she wasn't you."

"Wow."

"Yeah," Emily said softly. "I just thought that you should know."

"Emily?"

"Yes, Paige?"

"Kiss me?"


	18. Too Tired

"So, is Paige a good kisser?"

"Huh –" Emily gasped in shock, lowering her voice. Of course, Hanna couldn't care less that they were discussing this over breakfast in a very public place, where everybody knew them, but Emily wasn't so uninhibited. "Hanna!" she continued, once she had regained her composure, "Did you not get the entire _point_ of that story? It's not about that! It's about the fact that Paige trusts me now. She trusts _us_ now. So, she felt okay taking that step."

"Aw. That's great, Em. So, is Paige a good kisser?"

Emily rolled her eyes. She knew that Hanna wasn't going to let it go. And she kind of wanted to tell her, to be honest. "She is a _great_ kisser!"

Hanna reached up for a high five. "I knew she was going to be!"

"That first kiss was… perfect. It was unexpected. And passionate. And deep. And her tongue… It must be double-jointed, or something."

"Okay, sailor," Hanna said coolly. "Slow your roll!"

"I can't wait to find out how her tongue feels… you know!" Emily admitted with a wiggle of her eyebrows and a shy smile.

Hanna's eyes grew wide. "But you _are_ going to wait, right?" she asked sternly.

" _Of course_ we are, Hanna! Jeez!" Emily was indignant.

"That's right, Emily," Hanna replied with a bit of condescension in her tone. "You make Paige work for that!"

"Hanna!" Emily chided, "It's not even about that. We don't have to play those games. But we _are_ going to wait until we really get to know each other before we, you know – _really get to know each other_!"

"Okay, whatever. I know nothing of your Sapphic love-rituals. I just know that before Caleb got _this_ ," Hanna said, pointing her index fingers in toward her body, "he had to _earn_ it!"

As if on cue, Emily's phone buzzed. She smiled when she saw that it was a text from Paige, and she shrieked "Oh my God!" when she opened the picture that Paige had attached. On the other side of town, Spencer and Paige were having their weight-training day at the gym, and Paige, glistening with perspiration, took a selfie as she flexed in front of the row of mirrors at the back of the gym. She was wearing a loose-fitting, slightly damp tank top that dipped generously below her collarbone and some Lycra biking shorts that fit her like a second skin.

Hanna snatched the phone from Emily's hand when she saw Emily's reaction to the picture. Emily was still swooning over the image and powerless to fend off Hanna's grabby hands.

"Whoa, Em!" Hanna said, gawking in awe at Paige's picture, "Your girlfriend is ripped!"

Emily smiled, reclaiming her phone and studying the picture. "I know, right?"

"Forget what I said before! You'd better get some of that!"

"Hanna!" Emily lowered her voice – and her gaze, rebuking Hanna with her eyes.

"I'm just saying! You'd better put your brand on her before someone poaches her right out from under your nose!"

* * *

Over at the gym, Paige and Spencer's discussion of the previous evening's events was much more subdued and rational. And much more suited for public discourse.

"So, you talked?"

"Yeah. Emily brought it up." Paige spoke in quick clips between repetitions on the bench.

"And?"

"We went around for a while. Emily pointed out something that I didn't realize. I tend to run away from conflict. I guess because I never had siblings, you know? I never had to work things out. And I didn't really have time for friends."

"Because you were so driven in school."

"Right. My Dad."

"Well, you know, Emily's an only child, too."

Paige chuckled. "Yeah. I guess she was lucky to have friends like you around her."

"Well, that's true. But I think the reason that she was able to pick up on your tendencies was that she was the same, when it came to relationships."

"How do you mean?"

"You know. We talked about the way that she went through girlfriends when we were in high school. And, sure, part of it was that it was a confusing time, and she was still feeling things out; finding who she was. But, to be honest, when things got rough, it was just easier for her to move on than to work things out."

"Until Samara."

"Until Samara. And, I think that the main reason that she stayed with Samara, even when she knew that it wasn't working, was that she was afraid of going back to the way that she was in high school."

"So she was over-compensating?"

"Precisely. And it didn't help when you came along."

"Me? What did I do?"

"You represented an escape for her. She must have seen it as a return to high school: When things got rough with one girl, some other girl always seemed to show up."

"Yikes." Paige almost dropped the weight that she was pressing. It had taken a while for Hanna to convince her – and for her to allow herself to believe – that she wasn't responsible for breaking up Emily and Samara.

"Paige," Spencer said seriously, "This isn't the same thing. She and Samara weren't working. It was doomed before you came along. Don't think that you split them up." Paige nodded weakly. "And don't worry that Emily's going to drop you when someone else comes along. She's matured a lot since high school. She's not just looking for someone - _anyone_ \- to hang out with. She wants something mature. Permanent."

Paige nodded and started benching again. "I guess so. I guess the fact that we talked about it proves that."

"I think that you came into her life at just the right time. I used to think that it would've been great if you had met her before Samara happened, but, now that I think about it, I'm not sure that she was ready for you back then."

"To be honest, Spencer, I'm not sure that I'm ready for her, even now."

"Paige, don't worry that you're not good enough for her, okay? You're both becoming something. Together. Neither one of you is perfect. But you're what she needs." Paige nodded her head, slightly, not really convinced. "And I think that she's what you need, right?"

"Right," Paige said, much more certain about that aspect of the equation.

Even with Paige's lingering doubts, she felt much better. Talking it over with Spencer had boosted her confidence in where she stood with Emily.

* * *

Once Paige and Emily made it to first base, they found that it was hard to put the brakes on. They both wanted to, and they both knew that they needed to. Even though they had never discussed it, they were in agreement. They didn't want to rush into bed together. They wanted to enjoy the journey and the build-up. They had all the time in the world.

But that didn't make the waiting any easier. As connected with and attracted to each other as they were in all ways – intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, and, of course, physically - they had to make a conscious effort to keep themselves from letting nature take its course. It was almost like the physical act of sex itself: Forestalling the inevitable to make it much more pleasurable when the time was right.

So, they made subtle changes to their routine. They went out more, choosing to be in public places rather than staying in at Paige's house, alone. They scheduled more group activities with their friends. When they were by themselves, cuddled up on the couch with a movie, Paige made sure that she left the lights on. Emily never asked why Paige had the room lit up like a Broadway marquee. She didn't have to ask.

* * *

On one Saturday, game night with their friends ran late. It was after midnight when the girls – and their guys – finally cleared out. Emily stayed behind to help Paige clean up, so it was even later when Paige stood in the foyer with both hands on Emily's shoulders for the kiss good night.

Emily tried to stifle the yawn that was building up in her. She didn't want to manipulate the situation by making it seem that she was dropping a hint about staying the night. But Paige noticed the yawn. "You should stay," she offered, smoothing a hand over the long, dark locks on either side of Emily's face.

Her intense gaze into Emily's eyes made it hard to say no. But, eventually, Emily shook her head. "It's okay, Paige. I'm fine."

Paige slumped her shoulders and flexed at the knees a bit, softening her gaze. "You're exhausted, Babe. I can't send you out like this."

Emily opened her mouth to protest, but, in the end, she just leaned into Paige's side, folding her arms in front of herself as Paige pulled her in tight and led her to the bedroom.

"Don't worry," Paige said as she went through her dresser to find something for Emily to sleep in. "I'm heading to the sofa bed tonight."

"Paige," Emily started to protest, but Paige cut her off.

"I think that it would be for the best."

Emily knew that they hadn't reached the point in their relationship where they were prepared to sleep together, but that didn't mean that she wanted to spend her first night in Paige's bed _alone_ in Paige's bed. "I won't try anything, I promise!" she joked. Her smile was only two steps short of desperate.

Paige opened her mouth to say, "I know that you won't, but…" When she turned toward Emily and saw the pleading look in her eyes, though, she was powerless to refuse. "Okay," she said simply. "But no funny business!" she yelled, and smacked Emily on the bottom.

Emily gasped in shock, her hands immediately covering the area. Instead of retaliating or protesting, though, she just fell into Paige's arms and rested there for a long time. They each felt comfort from the other in the embrace, each taking the time to enjoy the feeling of the other's body against her own as they drank in each other's scent. Paige pushed away, pointing toward the bathroom as she told Emily that she was going to go brush her teeth, to give Emily space to change.

* * *

Emily was almost giddy once she was alone in Paige's bedroom. With a big smile, she buried her face in the Florida State jersey that Paige had picked out for her, inhaling deeply.

Before she went any further, she shot a quick text to her mom, letting her know that she was going to stay over at Paige's house. Pam Fields sighed when she read the text. Emily was an adult, and Pam couldn't really tell her what to do, even though she was still living under her parents' roof. But Pam appreciated the open, honest relationship that she and Emily had built up. And she trusted Emily. She trusted Paige, as well. She didn't know what would happen when they spent the night together, but she knew that they were responsible. She texted back, "I love you, Emmy. See you tomorrow."

Emily smiled at the text and texted her mother back, returning the "I love you." She swapped her top and bra for Paige's jersey, and she couldn't help taking a moment to hug the jersey against herself, laughing out loud at how foolish the gesture was. She stripped off her jeans and felt for the hemline of the jersey, deciding that it was a respectable length for her first night in bed with Paige McCullers. Paige hadn't offered her any bottoms. Maybe she had just gotten distracted by the conversation about where she was going to sleep. Or, maybe, Emily thought, she just wanted to feel Emily's bare legs against her own.

Whatever Paige's motivation had been, Emily decided that she was going to make the most of the situation. She perched on the bed, with her legs folded at her side and her hair pulled over one shoulder. The way that Emily was sitting, Paige's jersey hit just below her panties. She tried her best to keep her expression blank.

Paige knocked once and came right in. "Okay, the bathroom's all your-" Once she caught sight of Emily, she froze in place. Emily gave Paige's eyes a second to make sense of what they were seeing before she bounced out of the bed and strode past Paige, who was still standing like a statue in the doorway. Emily teased her index finger down the side of Paige's cheek, all the way to her collarbone, before she wriggled through the gap between Paige and the doorpost.

Only after Emily was halfway down the hall did Paige's paralysis wear off. "I left a toothbrush and a towel on the counter," she called after Emily. Once she closed the bedroom door, she whispered, "Fuck!"

Paige was under the covers by the time Emily returned, torn between the temptation to pretend that she was asleep and the strong desire to watch Emily's legs as they strode over to her bed. In the end, she played it cool, pulling the covers back so that Emily could climb into bed with her. Emily slid in, facing Paige, and gave her a kiss. It was supposed to be just a good-night kiss, but it was hard to stop at that, the two of them barely dressed and locking lips while lying in Paige's bed. Emily came to her senses first and pulled away, rolling over with her back toward Paige.

"Emily," Paige whined.

"I'm sorry, Paige," Emily said. She hadn't meant to tease.

They were both so exhausted that they fell asleep before they even had a chance to fall under temptation.

* * *

Paige woke in the night to find her legs pretzeled with Emily's, her arm across Emily's waist, and her lips on Emily's neck. Before she could help herself, she felt her lips sucking against Emily's neck. Emily let out a low, needy moan, and Paige, feeling guilty, pulled her lips away. "Don't stop," Emily whined into the pillow. Paige didn't know whether or not Emily was talking in her sleep. She rolled onto her back, putting the arm that had been around Emily's waist across her own forehead, with a sigh. Emily reached behind her, flailing around in an attempt to find Paige's arm. When she found it, she yanked it back across her waist as she backed into Paige. "Kiss me," she whined, and, when Paige, still unsure that Emily was awake, lay there thinking it over, Emily rolled over to face her. "You're adorable, do you know that?" she said, as she began kissing Paige.

Things quickly got heated, but they didn't cross any lines that night, because the timing wasn't right. Still, they felt that they had earned a good horizontal make-out session.


	19. More Fun with Hanna and Spencer

**A/N - Yeah, I know that I've got to get Aria into the mix again sometime soon. :)**

* * *

"I don't get why you don't just move in with Paige."

Emily just glared at Hanna. "You know that neither one of us is ready for that step!"

"Why not? You've been together for - what? How long? Back in high school..."

"Hanna, I'm not back in high school. I'd like to think that I've grown some since high school."

"What about Samara?"

"God, Hanna! What about Samara?"

"Okay, but there's got to be some middle ground between high school Em and Samara-Em."

"Hanna, could we please just talk about something other than my love life, just for once?"

"Okay, okay!" Hanna said in surrender. Before long, she started up again. "But aren't you ready to move out of your house?"

Emily just rolled her eyes and scoffed. Hanna rolled her eyes right back, mocking her.

"Yes, of course, Hanna," Emily sighed. "I'm more than ready to move out. But that's not a reason to move in with my girlfriend."

"Ooh - your _girlfriend_!"

"Seriously, Hanna?" Emily smiled. "Why are you acting so surprised by that?"

"I don't know. You never seemed to use that word with Samara."

"Yeah, I get it. You guys were right about Samara. Now, can we please move on? Because I've moved on."

"Whatever. So she's your girlfriend. And you don't want to move in with her because, why?"

"Because the fact that she's my girlfriend doesn't mean that we're ready to go to the next level."

"Have you told her that you love her?"

Emily smiled and nodded, staring at her coffee cup.

"And has she told you?"

Emily nodded again, her smile even bigger.

"Okay, so let's take a moment to appreciate the sweetness of that." Hanna held Emily's hand and looked up at the ceiling, reverently. "Now, back to my point," she blurted abruptly. "Moving in together doesn't mean sleeping together."

"No, Hanna," Emily said, trying to be patient, "but you know what it's like. Being in that situation, we would always be under temptation. We might do something that we're not ready for, just because we're constantly - you know - _there_."

"So, you guys have discussed this?"

"No, not in so many words."

"But you think that Paige is on the same - God - why are you dating someone named Paige? I have to come up with something else whenever I want to say that you're on the same page!"

"I like her name! 'Paige,' " Emily said the name dreamily a couple of times, purposefully playing it up to annoy Hanna.

"Don't try to change the subject. Does Paige feel the same about not moving in together?"

Emily sighed. "We haven't talked about it, but we _have_ talked about moving slowly. And, when I slept over at her place, we were both really..."

"Turned on?"

"And we could easily have gone past what we were ready for."

"That's only because _you_ made her sleep in the same bed as you!"

"Hanna," Emily whined, "I couldn't let her sleep on the couch!"

"My ass!" Hanna said. "You know that wasn't the reason!"

"I know..." Emily was smiling at the memory. "God, it just felt so good to fall asleep in her arms. And to wake up with our bodies tangled up like a Jenga game."

Hanna threw a napkin at her. "You guys will be doing it within a week!"

Emily smiled, shaking her head. "See? This is why I can't move in with her!"

Hanna reached for Emily's hand, her tone turning serious. "I just want to make sure that it's the _only_ reason, Em. She's not just messing you around - she really wants a commitment?"

Emily exhaled deeply. "You know her, Hanna. Do you think that she'd mess me around?"

Hanna shook her head. "Well, no. But that doesn't mean that I'm not going to worry about you, Em!"

"Thanks. I guess."

Hanna turned her eyes to her index finger as it followed a pattern on the placemat. "You smile a lot more, now," she observed without looking up.

"I do?"

"Yeah. When we're talking about Paige. It's nice. You used to get defensive whenever we talked about your relationships."

* * *

"And things have been okay, since you and Emily got over your initial awkwardness?"

"Yeah. Good. I think that we've sort of settled into a rhythm. Well, that game night kind of threw us for a loop, but we made it through that little challenge okay."

"Well, you need some things like that with Emily. Trust me. She appreciates having some surprises in her life – a break from the routine. Even with her swimming. She enjoyed it so much more when it was something that she could do for fun, not just the mundane day in, day out training."

"I guess that's why she and Samara didn't work?"

"Oh, no, Paige. That's not it at all. Sam was – emotionally unavailable to Emily. I mean, I don't know what she was after in a relationship, but she was always just so… distant with Em. I'm not saying that you have to keep Emily entertained, or she'll leave you. I'm just saying that she likes a little spice every now and then."

"What girl doesn't?"

"And you want to keep her happy…"

"More than anything." Paige gave Spencer's shoulder a squeeze. "This is great. It's like having my own, personal 'Cliff Notes Guide' to Emily."

"Well, you know how it goes. Old habits die hard. We were always very protective with Emily when we were in high school. Before she really came into her own. And, even though she doesn't need that anymore, it's just hard not to lapse back into those old habits."

"I could see that," Paige said, with a half-smile.

"And, for those two years when she was with Samara, it was _really_ hard for us to hold our tongues. Well, all of us except for Hanna."

"Of course," Paige said, at the same time that Spencer did.

After a lull in the conversation, while Paige helped Spencer stretch out, Spencer asked, "How's the pool coming?"

"Well," Paige replied with a satisfied smile. "I've managed to scrape however many years of gunk out of it. And I laid down some sealant, and had the stone work redone. I'm going to have a pool service come out in the next two weeks to give it the once over, and then fill it."

"Emily's going to love that."

"Yeah, I'm really looking forward to swimming with her." Spencer laughed and shook her head. "What? You think that she'll leave me in the dust?"

"No, it's not that. I mean, she very well might, don't get me wrong. I have no idea what you're like in the water, but, you know, Emily was team captain, after all, and she swam anchor. Anyway, just – get ready for a treat when you get Emily into the pool."

Paige was puzzled. "How so?"

"There's just something about the way that she moves in the water. You'll find out soon enough." Paige shrugged skeptically. "I'm just saying," Spencer continued, "she dated half the swim team. And only about a third of the team was gay."

* * *

"So, how are things going with Paige?" Pam asked over lunch on a Sunday.

Emily smiled slightly, without realizing that she was doing it. "Things are going well," she said.

Pam smiled back, squeezing her daughter's hand. "I'm happy for you."

The nibbled away in silence for a few moments before Pam added, "She's a nice girl," and Emily nodded. But Pam wouldn't leave it alone. "And, let's face it: There were some real losers along the way."

"Mom," Emily whined desperately.

"Come on, Emmy. We both know your track record."

Emily started thinking about her conversation with Hanna. Moving out was starting to sound like a good idea.

"Can we just not? I really don't want to get into all of my past choices, okay, Mom?"

"Like your tattoo?" Emily stifled a gasp. She thought that she had kept it hidden all these years. "Yeah, that _Sara_ was a real winner!" Pam rolled her eyes and shook her head, not trying to hide her disgust at the memory.

"Mom!" Emily felt like a three-year-old being put on time-out all over again. "I _thought_ that we were talking about Paige!"

Pam raised her hands and nodded as she finished swallowing the bite that she had taken. "Okay, okay, Emmy: Paige." Pam waited a second before asking, "What does _she_ think of your tattoo?"

" _Mom_! She hasn't seen it!"

Pam shrugged, as if it were no big deal, but she was relieved. She wanted to think better of Paige, even though she knew that Emily had spent the night with her.

"Yeah, Mom. You're so subtle," Emily said sarcastically in response to Pam's nonchalant shrug. She started eating again, trying to relax her body and come down from the emotional precipice.

"Do you love her? Wait, I know the answer to that. Do you think that she's the one?"

Emily hadn't really thought about it, in so many words. She had never thought as far as marriage and family with her high school flings. Back then, it was more about finding herself than finding a soulmate. And then, Samara came along and offered stability, but Emily wanted more than just stability out of a life-partnership.

The smile that stretched across Emily's face as she thought over her mom's question answered it for both of them. She nodded her head shyly, looking down at her plate as she flipped her fork over and over.

Pam resisted the urge to clap. She didn't want to scare Emily off Paige by giving her parental endorsement so soon. Instead, she just said, "She feels the same about you."

Emily dropped her fork. "Really?" she gushed, before it could occur to her to play it cool.

Pam nodded with a smile. "I can tell."

* * *

"You never talk about your parents," Emily remarked over dinner.

"What do you want to know?"

"Why you never talk about your parents," Emily said flatly, fighting the scowl that was trying to make an appearance. This wasn't an interview. She wanted to know the deal with Paige and her parents. She wanted Paige to want to tell her.

Paige shrugged casually. "My parents always kept a detached distance. It wasn't like you and your mom - and, I'm guessing, your dad." Emily nodded, both confirming the relationship with her dad and encouraging Paige to continue. "My parents were legal guardians first, coaches second, and providers third. Friends didn't really make the list."

Emily tilted her head and looked at Paige with unbelief and sympathy. "That's sad."

Paige shrugged. "Not really. I mean, it's what I'm used to, you know? I wished for a sister - or even a brother - more than I wished for a different kind of parents."

Emily nodded, trying to understand, but still having a hard time imagining what it must have been like for Paige.

Paige reached for Emily's hand. "Don't be sad. I love my parents. I really do. And I never doubted that they loved me. I'm just... _we're_ just... _it's_ just different."

"How often do you see them?"

"Not that often. Now that I'm on my own and successful - moderately; well, you know what I mean. Anyway, now that I'm _here_ , their work is finished, you know?"

"That's so sad."

Paige shrugged. "It's just different," Paige tried to reassure Emily, but Emily wasn't getting it. "They're great parents, really, Em. Especially when they're a thousand miles away."

Emily laughed and decided to move on. She couldn't help worry that Paige would be that kind of parent, even though nothing that she had seen of Paige gave her that impression. She certainly seemed to love kids when they spent part of their afternoon in the playground after miniature golf in Philly.

"Anyway," Emily said, "It's just weird. I mean, not just my Mom, but my friends, now. I mean, I don't get why everyone's so invested in my love life, you know?"

Paige shrugged. "I guess. They're probably just concerned for you, you know? They want you to be happy."

"Yeah, and I'm not offended. As I said: Weird. Like, do you and Spencer talk about us?"

"That's pretty much all that we talk about, I'm embarrassed to say."

Emily smiled. It felt good to know that their relationship was something that Paige talked about, and sought advice about.

"And, is Spencer constantly on you?" Emily asked. Paige just looked puzzled, for a second. "You know. To crash through my Pearly Gates?"

Paige, caught off guard, laughed so hard that she almost had beer come through her nose. "Jeez, Em! Where do you come up with this stuff?"

Emily shrugged. She wasn't shy about what she had said at all. She kind of wanted them to start talking about their sex life. "I'm just saying, Hanna and my Mom are like hardcore pushing me toward the goal line."

Paige wiped her mouth with her napkin and laughed, a little more in control now that she had gotten beyond the initial shock. "Okay, Hanna, I would expect that from," she said with a smile, "but it seems a little odd coming from Pam Fields."

"It's extremely odd, Paige. You wouldn't believe the conversations that we have. Sometimes, I wish that she was still in denial about my sexuality, so that we didn't have to discuss it."

"Trust me," Paige said jovially, "parental denial has its drawbacks, too."

"I know it does," Emily said, apologetically grabbing Paige's wrist. "Trust me, I remember those days," she said somberly, her eyes drifting off to the side.

"Yeah," Paige said, gripping Emily's hand for a moment, to say that there were no hard feelings. "Anyway, Spencer is more relational, you know? She likes to talk about emotions and dive deep into the minutiae of our conversations," Paige observed, pointing to Emily and back to herself, indicating whose conversations she was talking about. "We've never really talked much about the physical." Paige shrugged her shoulders, wondering why the subject rarely came up.

"Yeah, I guess I could see that, coming from Spencer. She'll probably want to analyze your technique, once we enter that phase of our relationship," Emily said with a wide smile. "Anyway, consider yourself lucky. That kind of talk gets old pretty quickly."

* * *

Emily moved her last slice of pizza onto Paige's plate. Paige took it with a smile. "Remember that time we had pizza with the girls when I came out from California? You fed me the last slice?"

"Oh, God - don't remind me!" Emily smiled out of embarrassment, her tongue protruding slightly between her teeth as she looked down into her lap, tucking her hair behind her ear. She couldn't believe how blatantly she had thrown herself at Paige, back when Paige didn't think of her that way.

Paige stroked Emily's cheek. "I was going to say that it was so sexy."

"It was?" Emily dared to look up, still grinning shyly.

"I remember wishing that it could've ended the way it does in the movies, you know? The last bite goes in, and then they kiss."

Emily put her head back, raising her palms up in frustration. "Paige, if you had kissed me right then, I would've exploded!"

Paige dipped her head. "Sorry."

"It's okay - it's just -" Emily shook her head, remembering. "That whole weekend, I just wanted you to kiss me!" She took Paige's hand. "It's okay," she assured her, stroking her thumb across the back of Paige's hand. "It all worked out." Paige looked up with a weak smile. "But next time, just kiss me," Emily laughed.

After a moment of staring at each other, Emily added, under her breath, "You're a good kisser."

"So are you."

"So, why are we still sitting here?"

Paige smiled sadly. "Because we ordered dessert."

Emily sighed, leaning back against the chair in defeat. She knew what she _really_ wanted for dessert. "Is it too late to change that order?" she asked, licking her lips seductively.


	20. Dessert

Paige and Emily were both on edge as they devoured their dessert. Once they had finished it, they lingered over their coffee, both seemingly having decided, without discussing it, to slow things down for a bit. The calm before the storm, as it were. They were leaning into each other across the table, their faces very close. Paige's leg began rocking back and forth in a slow, steady pace. Emily could feel herself getting mesmerized by the rhythmic brushing of denim against her leg.

Emily noticed Paige's gaze shift to a point just beyond her, her smile waning slightly as her forehead wrinkled up. She reached for Paige's hand and raised an eyebrow to ask what was going on.

"That woman keeps staring at you," Paige said, pointing with her chin at a woman a few tables over.

Emily turned her head to the side to check it out. "Oh, yeah. That's Sara," Emily said with a roll of her eyes.

"And let me guess." Paige smiled knowingly. "Sara is an ex."

"Junior year. First half. Just before swim season."

Paige shook her head, still smiling. "So, are there any women in Rosewood whom you _didn't_ date?"

"The straight ones," Emily deadpanned, playing along. "And Spencer, of course."

"Wait - Spencer's bi?"

"She would say that she's 'fluid,' " Emily responded, making air quotes with her fingers.

"Fluid?"

"Yep!"

"And by that, she means?"

"Exactly what you think she means." Emily smiled. "I can't believe that it never came up in any of the conversations that you guys have had."

Paige smiled shyly, remembering Spencer's comment about how excited she should be about seeing Emily in the pool. It was actually a comment that Paige thought about rather often. But, hearing of Spencer's fluidity, Paige had to wonder whether there was more to the remark than just Spencer's point about Emily's success with girls on the swim team; whether watching Emily swim was one of Spencer's guilty pleasures. "We mostly talk about you," Paige replied at last. "A little bit about Toby, but nothing to indicate that she would explore other options."

"No, she's wouldn't. She and Toby are rock solid. I mean, yeah, she's 'fluid,' " - air quotes again - "but she's still monogamous."

"Hmm. Good to know." Paige shrugged. "I guess."

"So, don't get any ideas, McCullers!" Emily said with a wink.

"Hey, I'm monogamous, too!" Paige threw up her hands, asserting her innocence.

"I know, I know!" Emily said, blowing Paige a kiss. "I'm just messing."

Paige smiled, pretending to catch Emily's kiss and tuck it away in the pocket of her jeans. "Anyway," she said, getting back to the subject, "Sara doesn't seem to be too devastated over your break-up."

"She was… always hanging around, you know? Like, no matter how much - or how often - her heart was broken, she just kept blindly clinging to some hope that we'd get back together."

"I think that she's still clinging." Emily nodded and shrugged her shoulders, as if powerless in the face of this irresistible pull over women that she was blessed - or cursed - with. "Too bad I didn't know you back then," Paige added.

"Why? You think that you would've been the one who tamed me, McCullers?"

"Oh yeah," Paige replied, maintaining a straight face and a deep, steady gaze into Emily's eyes. "A couple of hours in my bed, you'd be spoiled for any other woman."

"Whoa there, Tiger! You think that you can get into my pants with a couple of beers and a sexy smile?" Emily raised her glass and clicked her tongue. "I'm not that easy."

"Maybe not," Paige said. Emily could feel the rhythmic swishing of Paige's leg against hers getting ever so slightly faster. "But I'm not worried," Paige continued. "I'm getting to ground zero soon enough," she concluded with a cocky grin, leaning back casually against the back of her chair.

"Jeez, Paige!" Emily was totally caught off guard by this response - and the swagger behind it. It set off a persistent tingle, deep in the pit of her stomach.

After Emily had gained a reputation - and some self-confidence - from all of her paramours in high school, girls became diffident about approaching her. In her first grown-up relationship, Samara had been passive sexually, almost to the point of indifference. And Emily had gotten used to hesitancy on Paige's part, because of the way that Paige always relied on Emily to set the pace, even when it came to simple steps such as holding hands. So, seeing Paige this bold and self-assured shocked Emily like a blast of cold air - or, more accurately, like a jolt from a defibrillator.

A jolt that flowed straight to her core.

"Too far?" Paige said, still swinging her leg with that cocky grin, her stare unflinching.

Emily didn't back down. She returned Paige's intense stare as she slipped a foot out of her shoe and underneath Paige's pants leg, stopping it mid-swing. Yes, they had an understanding: They were taking things slowly. But somewhere over the course of the evening, the signal light changed. The launch sequence officially started. It was only a matter of time.

"You're pretty sure of yourself," Emily said, trying desperately not to sound as breathless as she felt.

Paige leaned back, with an arm on the back of the chair and that damned smile still stuck on her face. "Tell me that I'm wrong," she challenged.

Okay, a little teasing was fun, but Emily was too far gone to keep up this back-and-forth with Paige.

"Take me to bed, Paige," she breathed out. The suddenness of her capitulation and the sexiness in her tone were what finally knocked the smile off of Paige's face.

Paige couldn't get the check fast enough. She almost knocked over her chair stepping away from the table. Emily couldn't help giggling at how flustered Paige was acting, despite her cocky performance. It felt good to know that Paige wanted her so much. And, of course, she wanted Paige just as desperately.

Emily felt the tremble in Paige's hand as they headed for Paige's car. Paige had gotten very quiet; focused. She calmed herself as she closed the passenger-side door behind Emily and walked around to the driver's side. Emily gave her a kiss to the cheek when she sat next to her. It was supposed to be a calming kiss, but it became the first of many, as things heated up rapidly. As eager as they were to get back to Paige's place, they were willing to take a few moments to stoke their passion. But it was more than that. It was a confirmation that they were in agreement; that this wasn't just their crumbling self-control in a moment of weakness. It was the next step in their progression; a waypoint on their journey. It was where the road was leading them. Somehow, they both felt the need to pause and savor the moment. They knew that things were about to get frantic and heated very soon.

* * *

As much as she worried about distracting Paige on the drive home, Emily found herself unable to keep her hands to herself.

Still, the drive seemed to calm Paige down. Emily hoped that it hadn't cooled her down. Paige made her way over to the passenger's side and helped Emily out of the car, still holding Emily's hand as she led her to the front door. Paige's hands didn't stumble on the lock. _Good_ , Emily thought. She needed those hands to be sure and steady for what was about to happen.

Emily felt her legs tremble in anticipation.

Paige led Emily by the hand to the couch and sat her down. Emily almost rolled her eyes at the speech that, she knew, was coming: "Emily, before we go any further, I just want to be sure that you're ready." O _h, blah blah_ blah, she thought. _Just do me, Paige._ As bad as she felt for even thinking that, she had waited long enough. She was ready to get down.

But when Paige spoke, sandwiching Emily's hands between hers, she didn't give the speech that Emily was expecting.

"Emily, I've been waiting for this for a long time, and I'm pretty sure that you have, too." she looked to Emily for a response, and Emily nodded. "As strong as my urge is to rip your clothes off and ravish you, I think that we'd be better off taking a moment to relax and really connect, so that we can enjoy this on every level. Are you okay with that?"

 _Oh,_ Emily thought. _That was actually pretty thoughtful. And wise._ Paige was giving Emily such a deep, intense look that Emily had to struggle to form words. Instead of speaking, she gave Paige a slow, lingering kiss, cupping Paige's cheek and gently brushing her fingers through Paige's hair. As the kiss went on, she began slowly caressing Paige's arms, running her hands up and down their length before she moved them to the base of Paige's blouse, which she slipped over her head. Paige moaned in anticipation when they broke the kiss so that Emily could get the top over her head. The moan grew louder when Paige felt Emily's hands on her bra, rubbing circles on her breasts as their lips met again, briefly, before Emily's moved down to Paige's neck and collar.

As their articles of clothing made it, piece by piece, to the floor beside the couch, they took their time exploring every aspect of each other's body: the whiff of vanilla around Paige's neckline, the taste of the goosebumps that raised on Emily's back as Paige trailed her tongue down its length; the feel of the creases that lined Paige's abdomen; the involuntary shudder that coursed through Emily when Paige's fingertips ghosted over her neck, just below her hairline.

Emily was beginning to feel that she could spend the rest of her night - the rest of her life - just exploring Paige's body that way, until Paige began stroking down the inside of her thigh. Emily's body tensed as her stomach tightened and her legs compressed around Paige's hand, trapping it between them.

The only sounds that had come from their mouths for the last half hour had been moans and, occasionally, each other's names - until Emily broke that pattern with a single word: "Bed."

Paige stood up and helped Emily up. Still taking things slowly, they worked their way to the bedroom, kissing and caressing their way to the steps. Paige made a detour into the kitchen, where she quickly picked up a bottle of wine and a pair of glasses. Seeing Emily, now in front of her on the stairs, Paige moved the wine glasses into her left hand, with the bottle, freeing up her right hand to stroke Emily's irresistible ass. Emily turned her head and smiled at Paige, not failing to notice the look of reverence and awe on Paige's face.

Paige set the wine and glasses on her dresser, pausing to fill one of the glasses. She took a sip and walked over to the bed where Emily was sitting, her legs crossed in front of her, supported by her arms behind her. Paige handed the glass to Emily, who took a sip and set the glass on the night stand, tugging on Paige's hand to get her to join her on the bed.

Paige sat next to Emily, and Emily turned into her, kissing and caressing her face as she eased her down so that she was lying on top the blanket. Paige hiked herself farther back onto the bed, and Emily straddled her. Paige smiled at the feeling of Emily's wetness against her belly.

Emily descended onto Paige, grabbing Paige's hands and moving them behind her head, their bare breasts rubbing against each other as they convulsed into each other. Paige clenched her legs together, her senses overloaded by everything that Emily was doing.

Emily scooted down, roughly handling Paige's breasts as she sucked on them, marking them as her own. Paige threaded her fingers into Emily's hair, her fingertips digging into Emily's scalp with each clamp of Emily's teeth. Emily noticed that she was grinding on top of Paige's clenched thighs. Feeling that she was on the verge of exploding, she changed tactics. She sat up and soothingly rubbed Paige's side, heading down to her ass and thighs. Paige relaxed her legs, and Emily accepted the invitation, exploring the periphery with her fingers. Paige grabbed Emily's shoulder, her grip clenching each time that Emily's fingers strayed past the border. Emily paused to taste her fingers, moaning with appreciation. Paige's eyes grew wide in anticipation as she felt Emily slide off of the bed and onto her knees. "Oh, God, Emily!" she screamed and, with a smile, Emily licked the neighborhood around Paige's opening, licking her clit and her lips a little until, with a moan of enjoyment, she pushed her tongue inside.

Paige was doing her best to hold on, but she was so keyed up just from being with the woman whom she loved so much and had waited so long for that it was a struggle to keep a lid on the volcano that was bubbling up inside her. Emily picked up on the shortness of Paige's breaths and the tightening of her stomach. She backed her head away, curling a finger inside Paige instead, even as she whispered, "Hold on, Babe!"

Paige's head was writhing desperately back and forth. She bit her lip until she tasted blood, which only served to drive her further out of her mind. She desperately grabbed tight fist-fulls of the blanket, needing to keep her hands away from herself. She knew that a single touch of her clit - by her or by Emily - would cause the dam to burst. When Paige pounded her fists into the mattress and started screaming Emily's name, Emily knew that she couldn't take any more.

"I'm here, Babe," Emily breathed. "You can let go." With that, Emily worked up a deliberate pace with two curled fingers as she kissed Paige's thighs. Paige reached down and circled her clit, stifling a yell, for fear of her neighbors, as she came hard.

Emily rubbed Paige's trembling legs and helped Paige recover her breathing. It took her a moment to realize that Paige was whimpering. She darted up next to her on the bed, stroking the hair on the side of Paige's face. "Paige - are you okay?"

Paige smiled and cupped a shaky hand against Emily's cheek. "I'm fantastic," she whispered. "I've just never come that hard before."

Emily put her head on Paige's shoulder, allowing Paige to pull her in tight as she smoothed slow circles with her palm over Paige's stomach. "We'll, I guess that's because you've never loved anyone as much as me," Emily said, trying to make it sound like a joke, to hide how much she needed to hear that it was true.

"Hey," Paige said, sitting up a little and gazing intensely into Emily's eyes. "Don't ever doubt that. I love you more than I even thought that I was capable of loving someone, Emily."

Emily relaxed back into Paige, still trying to maintain a light mood. "Well, good," she said, resuming the circles with her palm, "because that's exactly how I love you." Paige kissed the top of Emily's head, and Emily looked up at her and smiled. She shifted positions so that she was leaning on the pillow against the headboard. As Paige shifted to join her, Emily grabbed the glass of wine from the nightstand and took a sip before she passed the glass to Paige. "I was wondering why you stopped for this," she commented, "but it turned out to be a good idea."

Paige smiled as she slid closer to Emily. Emily stretched out her arm, and Paige nestled in, resting her head on Emily's chest. "Are you cold?" Emily asked.

Paige nodded. "A little bit."

Emily turned slightly onto her side and pulled the blanket and sheets from underneath her. Paige got up and went around to Emily's side, joining her under the sheets. She gave Emily a kiss, and, before they knew it, things were heating up again.

"Paige - you don't have to, tonight. I'm fine."

"Do you want me to stop?"

"Of course not!"


	21. Aftermath

**A/N - So. Yeah. Sorry about the cliffhanger in that last chapter. I actually thought of it as the end of the scene, until I started reading the reviews. To make it up to you all, I added a bonus scene in this chapter - the two paragraphs before Emily showers. :)**

 **Sorry 'bout that!  
**

* * *

"Emily... Emily!"

"What?" Emily said, annoyed at the impatient way that Paige had shoved her awake.

"Your phone," Paige said sleepily.

"My phone?" Emily echoed, confused.

"In the other room!"

 _What does this girl have, bionic hearing?_

"Does your mom know where you are?"

"Oh, shit!" Emily said, suddenly wide awake. She grabbed the blanket and wrapped herself up in it, going as fast as her improvised toga would allow her, out into the front room to find her jeans and retrieve her phone from the back pocket. She saw that it was after two in the morning and that she had missed a several texts and phone calls. The last call had just come in, so she decided called her mother back, since Pam was still awake, before she checked her messages and texts.

"Mom!" she all but yelled when Pam picked up the phone.

"Are you at Paige's?" Pam asked. She sounded tired, but not panicked. Rosewood was a small town, and Pam was on the police force. If anything had happened to Emily, Pam was pretty sure that she would have heard about it.

"Yeah. I'm sorry. I wasn't planning to stay over, but it got late. And I forgot to call."

"Okay, Emmy. I just wanted to make sure that you're safe."

"Okay. I'm sorry. It won't happen again. I'm sorry that you stayed up all night."

"No," Pam yawned. "I've been sleeping, and just trying your phone whenever I woke up."

"Oh. Well, sorry for that, then."

"All right, Em. Give Paige my love. Get some sleep or whatever," Pam said, hanging up before Emily could protest.

Emily toga-ed her way back to the bedroom, stopping at Paige's dresser to help herself to something that she could sleep in. "Toss me something, too, Babe?" Paige called out.

Emily tossed her a t-shirt and some panties. "My Mom sends her love, by the way."

Emily let the blanket drop and caught Paige's eyes staring at her between the time that the blanket fell and the boxers replaced it. "See something that you like?" she asked with a smirk.

"Well, yeah!" Paige said, widening her eyes at the obviousness of the question, "but that's not what I was staring at," Paige said, pointing at a spot now hidden underneath the boxers. Emily looked down, pulling out the elastic waistband to take a look, thinking that she had a bruise or something.

"How did I miss the fact that you were inked?" Paige asked.

Emily snapped the boxers back in place, suddenly self-conscious. "Blind passion?" Emily speculated, adding, embarrassed, "Not one of my better decisions." She caught herself before she blamed the tattoo on Sara, thinking better of bringing up her ex in the bedroom, on this of all nights.

Paige stood up and walked over to Emily. She was staring so intensely into Emily's eyes that Emily trembled a little, and found herself taking a step backwards. Without saying a word, Paige tugged at the boxers and let them fall to the ground. She rubbed two fingers over the tattoo, to get the feel of it. Emily moaned, reaching out for Paige's shoulder to keep from falling over. "Well, I think," Paige rasped directly into Emily's ear as her fingers circled even closer to the good China, "that it's fucking hot."

Emily lifted her feet out of the boxers on the floor and put her arms behind Paige's shoulders, pulling her in for a kiss. As she deepened it, she could feel Paige's nipples becoming erect against her own breasts. Paige put her hands behind Emily's thighs and hoisted her off of the ground. Emily maintained the kiss as she wrapped her legs around Paige's waist.

Paige carried her over to the bed, dropped her roughly onto the mattress, and scrambled on top of her.

Paige's wanton display of passion set off something primal in Emily. She dug her fingertips into Paige's shoulder, clawing down from her back all the way to her thighs. As she ground Paige against herself, they climaxed together. It was another first on a night full of firsts.

* * *

When they were both recovered - and semi-clothed again - Emily climbed back under the covers, gathering Paige close and holding her almost maternally.

"Paige?" Emily asked before they drifted off to sleep.

"Yeah?"

"I need to ask you something." The lightness of Emily's tone and the way that she was holding Paige's hand kept Paige from feeling threatened.

"Anything!"

"Is your tongue double-jointed?"

Paige burst out laughing at the unexpectedness of the question. "Well, I don't know about that," she said, "but I'm pretty sure that I sprained it!"

"Mmm," Emily cooed, pulling Paige deeper into her embrace. "Totally worth it!"

* * *

Emily's next wake-up was much more serene than the first had been. She looked over at the beautiful woman sleeping next to her, and paused to appreciate the moment. It wasn't the first time that she had awakened next to Paige. It wasn't even the first time that she had spent the night in bed with Paige. But it was the first time that she had done so since she had been intimate with Paige. Emily felt more than content. She felt, somehow, more complete.

She realized that she had been running her fingers through Paige's hair only when Paige's eyes fluttered open and she muttered a sleepy, "Good morning." Emily's hand froze in place. She felt guilty that her idle contact had stirred Paige awake. "That feels good," Paige mumbled, rolling over onto her back. "Hey!" she said, smiling happily up at Emily, suddenly realizing where she was and what she had awakened from.

"Hey," Emily echoed. "How did you sleep?"

Paige thought for a second. "Like a woman in love."

It was cheesy, but Emily didn't mind. "Same."

"Tell me that last night wasn't a dream." Emily just smiled in response. Paige rested her head on Emily's chest. "So, what do you feel like doing today?"

"You," Emily replied honestly, her fingers once again playing with Paige's hair. "But it's Saturday," she sighed. "I've got brunch with Hanna."

"Yeah," Paige said, sighing too. "And I've got the gym with Spencer. Buns and tums today!" she said, fist-bumping half-heartedly in faux excitement. Emily's excitement was real; a response to the mental image that Paige had planted with those words.

"You can raid my wardrobe," Paige yawned sleepily as she sat up and stretched, "and you know where the towels and things are." Emily nodded. "But I want to show you something first." Paige stood onto her tiptoes, arching her back with her hands on her hips. She walked over to Emily's side of the bed, stumbling for a couple of steps after the stretch, and extended her hands with a wide smile.

When Paige opened the sliding door to the backyard, Emily demurred, stooping over in an attempt to hide her bare legs, with only a faded t-shirt covering the borrowed pair of boxers. "Uh, Paige? I'm not dressed," she protested.

"Relax. Nobody's up this early, and, besides, I've got the trees and bushes for privacy." Emily wasn't convinced, so Paige gave her another tug of the arm and led her around to the pool.

"No way! It's finished?" Emily gushed, her inhibitions taking a backseat to her excitement at seeing the pool.

"Yep!" Paige beamed.

"This is so great!" Emily knelt down and ran her fingers through the water. "Oh, I'm so going to be over here all the time!" She panicked for a second when she realized how that sounded. First of all, she had just invited herself over, and, second, it kind of sounded as though she were talking about moving in with Paige. She risked glancing up to see Paige's reaction for a second before she contritely returned her gaze to the pool.

"Absolutely!" Paige said, with no hint of hesitation. "I don't keep the gate locked, so just stop by whenever!"

Emily stood and rubbed Paige's shoulder, returning Paige's enthusiastic smile. It wasn't as though Paige were giving her a set of keys, but it still felt like a big step. Emily gave Paige a kiss, and she was certain, from the way that Paige kissed her back, that Paige, too, had caught the significance of what she had told Emily.

* * *

Paige couldn't help notice that the t-shirt that Emily was wearing rode up when Emily leaned in for the kiss. Nor could she help reaching down and fondling Emily's bottom.

Emily needed to cool off. On a whim, she dove into the pool, a decision that she hadn't really thought through. When she surfaced, she snapped her head back and arched her back to get the hair out of her face. This movement showcased the twin effects of the cold water. It had made Emily's nipples both very hard quite visible through the semi-transparent wet t-shirt. To Paige, it appeared as if it were happening in slow motion. It was too much for her, after all that they had shared in the previous few hours.

By the time that Emily caught up with what was happening, she was backed up against the side of the pool, with Paige's frantic lips all over her face and neck, Paige's hands roughly groping her breasts, which were buoyed by the water, and Paige's thigh desperately grinding between her legs. Before she could protest that they were outside and in broad daylight, she realized that she no longer gave a fuck. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her boxers floating away, having been replaced by Paige's persistent, steady fingers.

* * *

After Emily and Paige showered and got dressed, Paige dropped Emily off at her house. Emily had just enough time to drop off her clothes from Friday night and apologize to her mother before Hanna came to pick her up. Their talk was light and casual on the way to The Brew. Once they ordered and found a booth, Hanna asked how the date with Paige had gone.

"It was good. Yeah, we had fun," Emily said, not wanting to jump right in with the big news.

"Well, good. That sounds great, Em," Hanna said, rolling her eyes. Emily smiled coyly. "So, I've never seen that outfit before," Hanna remarked casually, laying her trap.

"Oh, this?" Emily looked down at what she was wearing, tugging on the hem of her - rather, Paige's - baseball jersey to examine it. "Yeah. I picked up a couple of things from a place in town."

"Second hand shop?" Emily nodded. "I think I know the place that you're talking about. What's it called?" Hanna asked herself, looking up to the ceiling and tapping her chin with her index finger.

"Yeah - I'm not sure," Emily replied, also pretending to try to come up with the name.

"Oh! I remember!" Hanna said triumphantly. "It's called, 'Paige's Place!' "

Emily could feel her face flushing. She was grateful that her olive complexion helped to hide it.

"Come on, Em. Did you really think that you could fool me when it comes to _fashion_?"

"Okay, so they're Paige's clothes. So, I spent the night at Paige's. It's not the first time, you know, Hanna!"

"Yeah, but it's the first time that you've been all Julian Bond about it!"

"I think you mean James."

"I know, duh! I said 'Julian' because you're a woman!"

"Hanna..." Emily started, but just shook her head. It wasn't worth it, when she had news that she was eager to share. "Never mind. So, yeah. Busted. I was going to tell you, of course. I just kind of wanted to ease into it."

"The way that you _eased into_ Paige? All night long?" Emily scowled. "Sorry, I couldn't let that one go. Anyway, so, spill, girl! Tell me everything!"

"So, we're having dinner, and Paige spots Sara, and she's staring at me..."

"Of course," they both said together.

"So, Paige got all jealous and possessive?"

"No, she got all cocky. 'If I'd known you back then, I would've ruined you for anyone else!' " Emily deepened her voice to emphasize Paige's moxie. She couldn't help smiling at the memory, though.

"No way!" Emily nodded. "Paige said that?"

"Yep. And I said, 'Don't think that you can get into my pants so easily,' and she said, 'I'm not too worried,' and, I don't know. It's been a long time since a girl was so confident like that with me." Emily dipped her head, concealing it behind her dark curtains of hair.

"Well, yeah!" Hanna squealed, "You had to make her put her money with her mouth was after that!"

Emily grinned shyly. "So, she took me home, and we couldn't keep our hands off each other in the car. Then, when we got home, she sat me down on the couch, and I'm thinking, 'Yes, I'm sure that I want this, Paige! Let's just go!' but that's not what she asked me. She said that we've both waited a long time for this, so we were going to take some time just to enjoy each other."

"Awww!" Hanna said longingly. "I want a lesbian girlfriend!"

"They're not all like Paige, trust me," Emily said. "And, trust me: I'm not letting go of Paige!"

"So, how was she?"

Emily gave Hanna a rebuking glare. " _It_ was sweet, Hanna. And hot. And emotional." Emily didn't want to give too much away.

"Emotional?"

"Yeah. Afterwards, Paige held me and told me that it had never meant as much before, because she never loved anybody so much before."

"Shit, Em!"

"I know, right?" Emily smiled. "It would've scared the crap out of me if I didn't feel that way about her."

"Wow. I'm so glad for you, Em," Hanna said, squeezing Emily's wrist. "Now tell me about the pool sex." Emily's mouth dropped. "Yeah, Em. I can smell the chlorine!"

* * *

"So?" Spencer asked, and Paige echoed, "So?"

"So, are you going to tell me, or am I going to have to guess?"

"Tell you what?" Paige tried to wipe the grin off of her face.

"What you've been grinning about all morning. And don't say, 'All morning?' " Spencer rushed the last sentence out, just as Paige was about to parrot those very words. Paige laughed at that, but the nervousness behind the laughter was painfully apparent.

"It's obviously Emily related. And I'm assuming that you two consummated."

Paige could only dip her head and smile.

"And?"

"Spencer, Paige said wistfully, "it was mind-blowing. It was like - have you ever been to the Grand Canyon?" Spencer raised an eyebrow over Paige's choice of a giant crater to describe sex with Emily. "Well, you know how you expect it to be _big_ , but, when you see it, it's actually so much more massive than anything that you could've imagined? I mean, I knew that making love with Emily was going to be hot. And not just because - you know, she's off the charts on the hotness scale, but because we're so connected, and we have that level of intimacy with each other. But it was way beyond my wildest dreams."

Spencer smiled and gave Paige a playful punch to the shoulder. "Good for you, Paige. Good for both of you."

And, with that, the focus shifted back to buns and tums.

* * *

Paige wasn't home when Hanna dropped Emily off at there, so Emily let herself in through the open gate and sat by the pool, catching up with the social goings-on on her phone while she waited. Not long after, she awoke as the light shifted to shadows, when Paige interposed herself between Emily and the sun. "Hey, sleepyhead!"

"What time is it?" Emily said with a stretch that caused her shorts to ride up, exposing her tan-line. Paige didn't even bother to pretend that she hadn't noticed.

"It's about 12:30."

"You're just now getting back from the gym?"

"I am. I came home just in time to catch a sleeping goddess in my backyard."

"Mmmm," Emily cooed. She extended her arms and invited Paige, "Come lie here with me!"

Paige grimaced in regret. "Oh, I would, but I didn't shower after the gym. It was such a nice day that I just jogged home."

"Wish I could've seen that," Emily mumbled to herself as a vision of Paige's body in motion floated through her head. "I don't care," she said louder. "Just come here!"

Paige leaned over and gave Emily a heated kiss. When Emily caught a whiff of her her scent, she grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her down on top of her in the chair. Paige shrieked in surprise. Emily laughed triumphantly.

Paige adjusted herself so that she was lying next to Emily on the narrow chaise, rather than on top of her. "So, what shall we do today? Are you hungry?"

Emily shrugged. "A little bit." She was content just to be there with Paige.

"How about I grab a quick shower and whip you up something."

Emily sighed. "Fine," she said, releasing her grip on Paige. Through a yawn, she said, "I wish I'd thought to grab my swimsuit before Hanna picked me up this morning. I could really go for a swim."

"Well, why don't you take one of mine?"

"Seriously?"

"Why? Are you worried that you're going to stretch out the bustline with those massive cans of yours?"

"I seem to remember somebody liking my massive cans last night," Emily retorted, smacking Paige's ass. She grabbed it immediately, impressed by how tight it was. "Shit, Paige! That work-out really... _works_!"

"Yeah? You like?"

"Oh, shut up," Emily said. "You know that you're hot."

Paige wiggled her eyebrows and extended her hand to Emily to help her out of the chair. "Come on, Em. Let's find you a swimsuit. I'm going to jump into the shower."

"Ooh," Emily gushed, bouncing on her toes and playing grab-ass behind Paige. "Can I watch?"

Paige turned around smiling. "What's gotten into you, Fields?"

" _Last night_ , Paige," Emily gushed. "Don't you think that last night was great?" Her smile reached all the way to her eyes, which were dancing

Paige turned around and pulled Emily in for a kiss. "Last night was epic, Em." Kissing her again, she added, "I love you so much!"

" _That's_ what's gotten into me," Emily said with a joyful lilt in her voice as she swiveled on the balls of her feet. She kissed Paige back. "And I love you so much, too, Paige."


	22. Keys to a Relationship

Paige stood transfixed, smiling in admiration as she stared out of the kitchen window at Emily, who was swimming in the backyard. Over the course of the past couple of weeks, Paige had come to understand what Spencer meant about watching Emily swim, although she was certain that the suit that Emily was wearing out there in her pool left a lot less to the imagination than Rosewood's High's practice- and competition-Speedos did.

Emily was free and uninhibited as she moved through the water. The only other time that Paige had seen her that way was when they were making love. Paige felt guilty for staring like that, but she knew that, if Emily knew that she was being watched, she wouldn't feel so free to be herself. So, Paige stood staring like a stalker until she saw that Emily was about to finish. Then, she grabbed two bottles of water and dashed out to the pool through the door in the bedroom.

"Perfect timing – as always!" Emily remarked, and Paige let her keep believing that the timing was purely coincidental. She wrapped a towel around Emily's shoulders and gave her a kiss before she sat in one of the lounge chairs, setting one of the water bottles on the table next to it and opening the other one.

Emily, rather than settling in the chaise that was on the other side of the table, climbed into the one in which Paige was lounging and tucked herself under Paige's arm, begging Paige, "Keep me warm!"

"Do you want to go inside?" Paige offered.

Emily shook her head against Paige's chest. "No." she insisted, "I want you to hold me." Paige kissed the top of her head.

"I can't believe that you have this pool," Emily said softly, her eyes closed. "I hope that I'm not taking advantage. It's just been so long since I've been able to swim every day."

Paige began to summon up her courage. There was no better lead in for the discussion that she wanted to have with Emily.

"So, I've been thinking," she began, taking long pauses between each phrase. "Since you come over to swim almost every day anyway…" The wheels started to turn in Emily's head. She wondered what Paige was leading up to. Maybe she was going to ask her to help with cleaning and maintenance on the pool. Emily felt bad for not having offered. "it kind of makes sense," Paige continued, "that you should… have your own set of keys…" Emily's eyes – and her smile – grew wide. Paige, however, could only see the top of her head, so she missed this reaction. "I mean, like, if you ever needed to get a glass of water or a band-aid or something… I don't know…"

Emily hadn't said anything in response because she was too excited to speak, but Paige took the silence to mean that it was too soon for Emily. She continued trying to backtrack. "I mean, no press-" but, before she could finish the word, Emily's lips were on hers. It wasn't a thank-you kiss or a kiss of appreciation. It was a kiss of pure desire. What Paige had said was huge. Despite the cute, nervous way that she said it, and the way that she tried to play it down, what Paige was proposing was a major step.

Emily was fully on top of Paige by the time the kiss ended. "Paige," she said seductively, " _now_ you can take me inside."

* * *

"Just so you know," Paige said, as she and Emily lay cuddling in bed, "The key isn't just about the pool. You're welcome to come over anytime – like, say you want to… surprise me by cooking dinner, or do my laundry." Emily gave Paige a good smack on the shoulder for that. "No, seriously," Paige said. "If you need a quiet place to study, or you want to borrow something from my closet or my kitchen…"

"Or throw a party for my friends?" Emily teased.

"As long as I'm invited," Paige replied.

"It wouldn't be a party without you!" Emily kissed Paige's shoulder and flicked her head slightly to the side, to clear her hair out of the way before she rested her head on Paige's chest again. She found herself tracing out infinity on the side of Paige's chest. Comforted by the steady beat of Paige's heart as she lay there, she finally worked up the nerve to ask Paige a question. "Do you think that it would be okay if I kept some clothes over here, maybe? Like, so I could change after a swim, you know?" _Or I could have something to wear to bed, or the morning after_ , Emily was thinking, but she didn't want to push it. She didn't want Paige to think that she was trying to move in. She peeked up at Paige's eyes for a second before she looked back down at her hand, which was now clenched around the fabric of Paige's t-shirt.

"Oh, yeah, of course, Em!," Paige said enthusiastically, causing Emily to look up at her again. "You should keep some clothes here – and some pajamas. I mean, not that I expect you to sleep over – but, of course, you're welcome to…" Paige was falling over her words. "Shit," she finally said, turning her head to the side. Emily started laughing at how ridiculous they were both being. Paige laughed, too, from relief more than from amusement.

"I think that we both know what the other one is saying," Emily said.

* * *

Emily couldn't deny how good it felt when she walked with Paige over to the pantry, where Paige took the spare set of keys off of a hook and handed them over with a flourish, as if it were a medal-ceremony or something.

Emily was still smiling over the significance of the gesture later that night, when Paige dropped her off at home.

"What's got you so happy?" Pam asked as she puttered around in the kitchen.

Emily decided not to be coy and say, "Oh, nothing," to make her mother dig for the answer. Instead, she came straight out with it. "Paige gave me a set of keys," she said dreamily.

"Oh," Pam said, caught off-guard. Emily floated over to the sink to wash her hands, and then fell in step with her mom, as she prepared dinner.

After Emily's words sank in, Pam postulated, non-judgmentally, "So, I guess this means that we'll be seeing a lot less of you?"

"Oh, no, Mom," Emily answered quickly. "It's nothing like that. We haven't talked about moving in together."

"Uh huh," Pam said, not fully understanding.

"It's just for, you know, like, when I'm swimming over there, and I need to use the bathroom or get a drink or something." Pam nodded. "But she did say that I can keep some clothes over there, you know, for when I sleep over."

After taking a second to process this, Pam said, cheerfully, "Well, that's a big step," and she hugged her daughter, being careful to hold the stirring spoon that was in her hand off to the side, so that she didn't get any sauce on Emily. Pam was also careful not to make comparisons with Samara, but just to enjoy the progress that her daughter and Paige were making.

* * *

"It was so cute the way that she asked me," Emily said, when she called Hanna after dinner.

"What do you mean?"

"She got all nervous, and then she tried to play it off, as if giving me the keys was no big deal."

"But, it's a _huge_ deal," Hanna said, shifting from lying on her stomach to sitting cross-legged on her bed.

"Right? And she said that I could keep some things at her place. Well, I asked, but she said, 'Of Course!' "

"Well, that just makes sense, right?"

"Right."

"Funny how it never made sense to Samara…" Hanna said under her breath.

"Hanna," Emily sighed, "Let's not do this, okay?"

"You're right. Sorry. Let's just celebrate Paige and you."

"Thank you."

"So, do you need me to go with you?"

"Go with me where?"

"To rent the U-Haul!"

* * *

It had been a long, frustrating day for Paige at the office. After fighting the traffic all the way home from Philly, all that she wanted was her bed. She checked the clock on the dashboard. It was just after 9:00. Even if Emily had come by to swim, she was home by now, probably having left a note on the refrigerator with a smiley face. _Good_ Paige thought. She really wasn't in the mood for company.

When Paige walked through the front door, she saw Emily, lying on her stomach on the couch, her feet in the air, typing manically into her phone. Paige couldn't help but smile at the sight. "Hey," she grunted, and Emily grunted back.

After a second, Emily looked up and, reading Paige's body language, ran over to meet her. "Oh, Honey!" she whined. "Rough day?"

A giggle escaped Paige's lips, in spite of her mood. "Honey?" Emily just shrugged, giving Paige a hug and taking her briefcase out of her hand.

"Why don't you sit down, and I'll whip up some quick dinner for you?"

"Actually," Paige said in a low rasp, "I picked up something at the office. I'm really just tired, Em. I think I'm just going to call it a night."

"Okay!" Emily stayed chipper. She may have had a good day, but she could tell that Paige had had a rough day. She wasn't going to make it any rougher. "So, I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

Paige gave a weak nod and a weak hug. Emily gave her a kiss, giving her arm a squeeze before she went to gather her things and head back home.

Paige went to her bedroom and sat down on the bed for a while. She really felt bad, but she didn't have the energy for company – even her girlfriend's – right then. _I should have offered her a ride home, at least._ She heard the front door close, and realized that she would have to make it up to Emily the next day.

She had washed her face and gotten changed and into bed when she heard a light tapping on her bedroom door, which wasn't closed. "Emily?"

Emily came into the room with a shrug, slipped off her shoes, and went to the far side of Paige's queen-sized bed. She lifted the covers and climbed in next to Paige, extending her arm. Paige scooted over and situated herself under Emily's arm, with her own arm stretched across Emily's stomach. They didn't say a word. Emily played with the hair on Paige's forehead, pushing it aside and letting it fall back into place over and over, until Paige's breath evened out into a faint snore. When she was sure that Paige was deep enough asleep, Emily moved her arm from behind Paige's head and tried to slip her legs out of the bed. Paige tensed up, grabbing the shirt around Emily's midsection desperately before she snapped back into consciousness. She gave an embarrassed smile at what she had just done. Then, picking up on the fact that Emily was about to climb out of bed, she said, "You must be starving. I'm sorry."

"I'm okay," Emily shrugged. "Maybe I'll just make some popcorn and bring it back here."

"Ick," Paige said, "You're going to stink up the room with that popcorn smell?"

"Paige, you don't like popcorn?"

"I can't stand it!"

"But we eat popcorn all the time, when we're watching movies!"

"Because I'm a great girlfriend!"

"Are you kidding me?"

"Emily, I promise you: I can't stand the smell of popcorn. But I love you enough to deal with it, so, if you want to make popcorn…"

"No, that's okay. I just had no idea," Emily shrugged. "I'll go make a sandwich, or something." Emily ran her finger down Paige's nose and got out of bed.

"I'll come with you!" Paige said, running after Emily.

Emily stopped by the shelf in the hallway and picked up her phone. "I was actually getting up to text my Mom, to let her know that I was staying over." As soon as she got those words out, she regretted them. It was one thing to stay over with Paige after Paige fell asleep in her arms. But, now that Paige was up and alert, after she had made it clear that she wasn't in the mood for company, it was a different story. "But I don't have to," she blurted out quickly. She smiled as she added, "I know that tonight's not a good night."

Paige walked over and grabbed Emily in a long, tight hug. "Please stay," she whispered, and she gave Emily a brief, tender kiss.

"Okay!" Emily shrugged, as cheery as she had been all night. She grabbed Paige's arm with both hands and let her lead the way into the kitchen. Paige opened the refrigerator, but Emily nudged her aside. "Sit," she said, extending a bottle of water to Paige, using it to point toward the kitchen stools. Emily pulled out some bread, cheese, and cold cuts. "Do you want anything?" she asked, turning around in time to see that Paige had been staring lasciviously at the way that she had bent over as she reached into the refrigerator. " _Not that!_ " Emily said with a wink.

"Come here a minute," Paige beckoned. When Emily walked over to the stool, Paige wrapped her arms around Emily's waist and gave her a long kiss. "Thank you," she said simply. Emily just smiled and kissed her back before she turned her attention to making a sandwich.

* * *

When Paige got home from work on Friday, she was surprised to see Emily's purse on the counter, because they had canceled their standing Friday date. Aria had decided that it had been too long since she, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer had a girls' night. She insisted that they do something together, just the four of them.

Paige found Emily in the bathroom, leaning over the counter toward the mirror as she finished her make up on. "Well, this is a pleasant surprise," Paige said.

Emily turned around and put a hand on Paige's chest before she returned her attention to the mirror and her eyelashes. "Well, we're not going to get together tonight, but I wanted to see you, at least. And, besides," she said, putting her mascara brush back into her bag as she turned around to stroke Paige's cheek, "you can make sure that I look okay before I go."

Paige laughed. "Well, if you want a biased opinion," she offered, recalling the way that Emily offered her a biased opinion about coming back to Rosewood.

Emily smiled briefly before a look of concern came across her face. "Are you sure that you'll be all right tonight?"

"I'll be fine," Paige assured her with a smile.

Emily rolled her eyes. "Are you even going to miss me?"

"Of course, I'm going to miss you," Paige said in a mechanical monotone, just to tease her.

"Yeah. I bet." She shook her head as she added, "I can't believe that you got duty-called. - See what I did there?"

"Ha ha. It's not even 'Call of Duty,' it's..."

"I know what it is," Emily said with a playful slap. "My point is, you're going to be so engrossed in your budding bromance with Caleb..."

Paige wrapped her arms around Emily's back, moving her head close enough to touch Emily's. 'Bromance.' Good. That's two for you. Have you got any more up your sleeve, or are you finished?" She gave Emily a quick kiss.

Emily sighed. "Just tell me that you're going to miss me tonight."

"You know that I will," Paige rasped, her lips almost touching Emily's. "Whenever we pause the game, I'll be sure to take a moment to miss you!"

Emily pushed Paige off of her, walking away with an exaggerated swing of her hips. "You sure about that, Paige? 'Cause maybe I should sleep over at Aria's tonight."

"I'll miss you! I'll miss you!"

* * *

Aria rode in the back seat of Spencer's SUV. Hanna wanted shotgun, and Aria wanted to talk to Emily. "I never see you anymore," she pointed out.

"I know, right?" Emily's voice went higher, acknowledging how surprising and sad it was that they no longer got together.

"I understand why, Em. And it's a good thing. I mean, it's better than - " Aria caught herself before she brought up Samara. Of course, Emily knew where she was going with that thought even though she didn't complete it. Aria rubbed Emily's arm. "I just meant that it's good that you and Paige like to do things together. But I miss hanging out with you."

"I know what you meant, Aria. I feel that way, too. No kidding, we need to fix this!"

Aria shrugged, "You know, I've got that show at the gallery coming up."

"Oh." Emily was looking forward to going with Paige. She knew how much Paige enjoyed the visual arts.

"I was thinking maybe you and I could get together to set things up, the weekend before?"

"Oh... Oh! Sure, Aria, that would be great."

"Paige would be okay with that?" Aria teased.

"I'm sure that she'll survive," Emily said with a smile. "She'll probably probably be happy to have a weekend to bond with Caleb!"

"Yeah, what's that all about?" Hanna asked. She turned around to look at Emily and Aria, taking a break from ridiculing Spencer's MP3 playlist once she heard Caleb's name.

"What's what about?" Spencer asked.

"Emily's girlfriend and my boyfriend," Hanna explained.

"Oh, yeah - their bromance?"

"That's exactly what I said!" Emily laughed. She was enjoying the moment.

Aria was right. As much fun as they always had when all eight of them got together, it was nice, every once in a while, when it was just the four of them.


	23. Some Girl Time, Some Bro Time

**A/N - "guest:mezkoala the story doesnt come up anymore on the website. i have had to search the story on google a couple of times now. not sure if it is just me or if theres an issue?"**

 **Uh... any other readers having this problem? Any fellow-authors know what I can do about this? :(**

* * *

When Paige's GPS told her that she had arrived at her destination, she quickly scrolled through her contacts to verify that she had the correct address. The house, on the outskirts of Rosewood, looked uninhabited and unmaintained. But the address was correct, so she climbed out of her car, making a point of locking the door. She stood next to the car with her hands on her hips for a couple of seconds before she exhaled deeply and headed for the front door.

Paige noticed a surveillance camera in the doorway as she was about to knock. Before her fist contacted the door, she heard a buzz, and Caleb's voice said, "Come on in!" from a speaker that she couldn't see.

She laughed before she turned the doorknob. If Caleb was trying to throw her off her game, he was off to a great start.

The house was dimly lit, decorated in what Paige would describe as contemporary shabby. There was stuffing coming out of all of the mis-matched furniture, and Paige got the impression that, if she sat down, a cloud of dust would rise up around her. Paige couldn't imagine that Hanna and her Manolos would spend a lot of time there.

"Ms. McCullers," Caleb said theatrically, emerging from a doorway in the back. "I've been expecting you."

Caleb led Paige through the kitchen, where he offered her a beer that she declined. "Trying to slow down my reflexes, Rivers?"

"How about this, then?" he asked, holding out a can of Red Bull.

"Now you're talking!"

When they got to Caleb's game room, Paige saw what he did with all the money that he saved on cleaning and upkeep on the house. There were computers and monitors stacked everywhere, and lights and sounds flashing constantly.

But the centerpiece was a 70-inch 4K TV. "Whoa!" Paige said in awe, before it was even powered up.

* * *

"So, what's the real Paige like," Aria asked, leaning close to Emily so that she could hear her response over the noise around them.

Emily shrugged. "You've seen the real Paige. She doesn't hide who she is. What you see is what you get." Aria smiled but didn't reply, so Emily thought it over some more. "She actually tends to be rather shy, which is a shock. She's so confident in who she is, and she handles herself well in group situations, or, like, with my Mom. But, when it's just the two of us, she's… I don't know. "

Aria touched Emily's forearm. "No, I get that. It's actually a very common personality trait. There are extroverts who feel the need to make sure that everyone else is okay in a group situation, but, when it's one-on-one, with family or close friends, they're a lot more… vulnerable."

"Huh," Emily said, deep in thought. "It actually worries me, sometimes, that Paige doesn't feel secure with me, you know? That she's tentative because she's afraid that something could go wrong between us."

Aria shook her head. "Not necessarily. Usually, it means the opposite, that she trusts you enough to expose her insecurities to you. Plus, you know. You guys were friends for a lot longer than you've been _girlfriends._ It's natural to have some fears about your relationship while you're still defining your relationship."

"Yeah. I can see that. I mean, I guess I'm like that myself." Emily smiled.

It was really good talking to Aria. Aria was very relational, and the insights that she was giving Emily on her relationship with Paige were very helpful.

* * *

"What the hell, McCullers?" Caleb was on an adrenaline high, and, when Paige suddenly paused the game, it was a shock to his system.

"Sorry," she explained. "That's Emily's ringtone." Paige smiled at the way that Caleb rolled his eyes. She pulled her phone out and smiled even wider at Emily's "ILY" text. She quickly made a kissy face into the camera on her phone and texted an "ILY" back.

"God." Caleb just shook his head. "You are so whipped, McCullers."

"Sorry," Paige replied, the smile on her face not looking apologetic at all. "You can take a free shot at me," she said, about to restart the game. Caleb stopped her.

"We might as well get some dinner," he said. "I'm sure that this flood of texts between you two lovebirds is only just beginning!"

* * *

"How are you coming with the photographs for your show?" Aria's eyes lit up. "I guess that's my answer!" Emily said with a laugh.

"Yeah," Aria said, smiling. "I'm really excited about it. It's a little bit of a departure for me. I can't wait for everyone to get a chance to see it!"

"Hey, you guys!" Hanna interrupted boisterously, sliding glasses in front of the pair. "A little less yapping, a little more drinking! You guys are getting way behind!" Hanna didn't want to be the only one drinking. Spencer was the designated driver, so she needed Emily and Aria to pull their weight.

Emily wrapped her arm around Aria's shoulder as they clinked the glasses that Hanna had given them. "To be continued," she said, looking forward to some one-on-one time with Aria.

* * *

"So, who won tonight?" Emily asked, on her good-night call to Paige.

"Oh, Emily. Bromance isn't about who wins or loses."

"So, Caleb?"

"I wiped the floor with him!" Paige declared proudly, exaggerating only slightly.

Emily laughed. "Of course you did!"

"You sound drunk," Paige observed.

"Ohh… A little. I was having fun catching up with Aria, but you know Hanna. She just kept sliding drinks our way."

"You're lucky," Paige lamented. "You've only have to face hungover Hanna in the morning. I've got to face Spencer in the gym. And you know how she is whenever Toby's out of town."

"Oh, God!" Emily said. "I wouldn't want to be you eight hours from now!"

"Switched places with me?" Paige begged. "If you love me?"

Emily laughed out loud. "No chance, McCullers!" When she heard Paige wince on the other end, she said, "Well, how about this: I'll head over to your place after brunch and get a nice, hot bath going, so that you can soak your aching muscles. And then I'll give you a foot massage, and you can cuddle up next to me till you fall asleep." Emily bit her lip waiting for Paige's response. She was trying to sound sexy, but she knew that she was drunk. She wasn't sure how it would come off.

Paige coughed a couple of times and had to clear her throat before she could get a reply out. "Uh… I … Yeah. That sounds…" Paige sighed and took a moment to collect herself. "Can I just skip the gym and go straight to that?"

* * *

Spencer was in beast mode at the gym. Her body was missing Toby, and it was seeking release by amping up the reps and the intensity.

And Paige was keeping up with her. And smiling like a dork. It was throwing Spencer off.

"Ugh!" she finally groaned. "What happened last night? Don't tell me that Emily stopped by after the bar for a drunken love-fest?

Paige just shrugged, innocently, and tried to tone down the smile. The only thing that she was able to think about was how great it was going to feel for Emily to take care of her when she got back from the gym. It was like her days of competitive swimming. Through all the workouts and the drills, through all the hours in the water and in the gym, she kept her focus on the trophy, the reward for all her hard work, and it made the hard work less painful.

But rather than try to explain all of that to Spencer, she changed the subject, slightly. "I'm guessing that the three of them were a handful last night?"

"Paige," Spencer grunted, "you have no idea. Aria wanted to catch up with Emily, which – totally understandable. But that left me with Hanna, whose only goal was to get shit-faced and get everyone around her shit-faced. And, trust me, being the sober one when Hanna's on a roll like that…"

"I can imagine." Paige shook her head.

"Aria and Emily were talking about you. A lot." Spencer added.

Paige's natural insecurities crept up. "Yeah?" she asked, a little worried what the reason was.

"I wasn't really eavesdropping," Spencer replied. "But, Paige, I've never heard Emily say a bad word about you. That's not my point. In case you didn't know, Paige, we all love you - the two of you. Together. We're glad that you're in her life."

Paige was smiling impossibly wide on the inside, both at the great things that Spencer was saying, and at the fact that Spencer had to hide behind "We" to tell Paige what she wanted her to know. Paige didn't want to put Spencer on the spot, so she deflected her comments. "Well, if that's true," she said, "then why are you kicking my ass so hard today?"

Spencer shook her head. "Yeah. Let's call it a day."

As they took a few moments to stretch, Paige asked softly, "When's Toby getting back?"

"One day, twelve hours, 17 minutes," Spencer said. "Approximately."

"Wow. You can do that without looking at your watch?"

Spencer pointed with her chin to a clock on the far wall of the weight room. "I've been counting the minutes since we got here."

 _I have, too,_ Paige thought to herself, although she hadn't been apart from Emily – and she didn't have to wait to see her again – for nearly as long.

* * *

Emily smiled when she got the text that Paige about to hit the showers and head home. She dashed to the bathroom and started filling the tub, adding a generous amount of lavender bath salts. She loved the smell. As long as she was treating Paige, she figured she might as well treat herself, too. Even though it wasn't dark out, she lit a few candles to enhance the scent.

And she waited.

When she heard Paige's car pull up, she bounced off of the couch, excited to see her girlfriend. She opened the door before Paige even made it up the steps to the porch. Emily engulfed her in an embrace and a kiss that had a little more urgency than their usual hello kisses. Paige dropped her gym bag and ran her arms up and down Emily's back, pulling her in even tighter.

Emily was still getting used to the experience of having a girlfriend who was just as excited as she was when they saw each other.

"So, was it horrible?" Emily asked, with a sympathetic pout, her hands landing on Paige's shoulders.

"Actually," Paige said with the smile that had been on her face since she woke up that morning, "It didn't seem so bad." Her right hand was caressing Emily's hair, starting at the top of Emily's head and going down to her cheek. "All I could think about was you, waiting for me when I got home."

Emily kissed Paige and smiled. She wrapped Paige's hand in both of hers and tugged her inside. "You're supposed to say, 'It was horrible, Em! My muscles are killing me!' " Emily said playfully. "And that's where I come in to make it all better!"

Paige huffed. "It was horrible," she said, pouting pitifully. "Make it all better!"

"Aw, Honey!" Emily said. She was playing along, but the look in her eye was sincere, and hearing her say, "Honey" that way was too much for Paige. Overcome with desire, she pinned Emily against the wall and began kissing her desperately. Emily surrendered to the kiss, massaging Paige's arms and back as they braided tongues. When Paige backed her head away to breathe, Emily slid out of her grip along the wall. "No more of that," she said. "Not yet. Your water's going to get cold!"

Paige sighed, slumping her shoulders in surrender, and headed to her bath. "Are you going to get in with me?"

"Paige, there's not enough room in the tub." Paige gave Emily a pleading look. "Just get in," Emily said. "Let me take care of your gym bag, and I'll come scrub your back."

* * *

Paige hadn't realized how much her muscles needed a hot soak until she actually got into the tub. She had sunk deep into the water when she heard the doorknob twist. She opened her eyes to see that Emily had exchanged the sweats that she was wearing when Paige got home for her very short black silk robe. Emily returned Paige's smile. She took a seat next to the tub and reached out to rub Paige's shoulders. Paige sat up to give her better access, moaning at how good Emily's hands felt.

Emily gathered Paige's moist hair off of her neck and tied it, quickly, on top of her head. As her fingers massaged Paige's shoulders, her thumbs worked on the back of Paige's neck. Paige was almost lulled to sleep by the massage when she felt Emily's lips against her neck, sending shivers straight to her core. "Oh, God, Em!" Paige said, her head hanging down limply. At that moment, Emily could have done anything; could have asked for anything. Paige was totally gone.

The noises that Paige was making were having an effect on Emily. She found her hands straying farther and farther down Paige's front. Paige couldn't take the teasing anymore and seized Emily's left arm, trying to pull it where she so desperately needed it.

"Paige!" Emily protested, "I can't get this robe wet!"

"Take it off," Paige said, breathless in her desperation.

Emily flashed Paige a devilish grin. "You want me to take this off?"

Paige gulped. "Yes, please." she managed to whisper.

Emily stood up and backed away from the tub. She danced a couple of steps, turning her back to the tub, then leaning her shoulder in as she slid the corner of her robe off of it. The smile on Paige's face got even wider as she tried to imagine what was underneath that robe.

Emily turned so that she was facing Paige again and bared the other shoulder. Paige still hadn't seen anything under the robe except Emily's perfect skin. Emily turned around quickly, backing the robe down to her stomach and wiggling her ass. Paige's thighs clenched together.

Emily let the robe fall fully, and Paige got a glimpse of a line of black fabric between Emily's cheeks before Emily turned, quickly, revealing a lacy, translucent, black teddy.

Bath time was over.

"Paige! Paige! You're all wet!" Emily laughed as Paige's lips and hands were all over her.

"I know," Paige said between kisses. "That's _your_ fault."

"Paige!" Emily said sternly. Paige backed off immediately, throwing her hands into the air and looking slightly panicked. "That's better," Emily said with satisfaction. " _Stay_!" she teased, and Paige grinned and stood there, naked and wet.

Emily spun Paige around and started wiping her down with a towel, kissing each spot after she dried it. Paige was on the verge of exploding, but she didn't protest. They were going to do this Emily's way, and Paige didn't have a problem with that. It was working out just fine, so far.

Emily paid special attention to Paige's chest, thighs, and ass when she toweled her off. She couldn't resist taking a couple of gratuitous squeezes of Paige's abdomen while seh was at it. Paige was just too damn sexy, fresh off a work out.

"Now what?" Paige asked in a soft voice, through smiling lips, when she completely dry. Well, almost completely.

"Now," Emily replied in a calm, steady tone, "you go lie back on your bed and let me fuck your brains out."


	24. The Return of the White Dress (Pt 1)

**A/N - Thanks to meektester866, who pointed out that the problem of not being able to find this story on the site probably began when I changed the rating from "T" to "M," because the site tries to keep people from inadvertently accessing mature content. I'm not sure what to do about that... It's definitely rated "M," and I wouldn't want people to stumble on something mature by mistake... Sorry for the inconvenience. Thanks for your persistence in tracking down the story. :)**

* * *

"Hey, remember that night when you showed up at my place in that white dress?" Paige asked.

"Aw, jeez! Don't remind me!" Emily averted her eyes in embarrassment. "I'm so sorry about that Paige."

Paige laughed. "It's okay. I mean, it was hard at the time, but I got over it," she said, nudging Emily with her elbow.

Emily shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Paige, what are you talking about? Got over what?"

"You know, after I fall asleep on the couch, alone with my pizza on a Friday night like the loser that I am, you show up dressed to kill after a hot night out with your girlfriend."

"Oh, God! Paige!" Emily would've laughed, had she not been so embarrassed.

"What?"

Paige dipped her head, trying to look Emily in the eyes, but Emily kept looking away. Finally, with a heavy sigh, Emily looked up, shaking the hair out of her face, and spoke. "Okay. I'll tell you the truth about that night. If I don't die of embarrassment, first." She took Paige by the hand and led her to the window seat, taking another deep breath before she worked up the nerve to continue. "So, Sam and I, well, we never did anything or went anywhere. She was never in the mood to go out. And, my Mom said, you know, maybe I should spice things up." Paige smiled weakly, mouthing the words, "Your mom?" Emily nodded and confirmed, "My Mom," as Paige shuddered at the awkwardness. Emily continued, "So, I got dressed up and went over for our regular Friday night... thing, thinking – hey, maybe she'll see how I'm dressed and decide to go do something fun. But it was the same old stuff. We ordered pizza, she went to work on some stupid report for work, and I fell asleep on her couch."

"Oh. I thought that you guys had dinner and a show?"

"Yeah," Emily scoffed, "pizza and Netflix. Or Amazon, whatever." Emily was hiding behind her hair again.

"So, your night was pretty much like mine. Except, Samara."

"Yeah. Which, I guess, means that your night was better." Paige gave Emily a playful shove with her shoulder. "But we both ended up sleeping alone on the couch after pizza and a movie, so..." Emily shook her head at how drab life with her ex had been. "Anyway, so, when I drove by your place…"

"On the way home from Samara's?"

"Okay, yeah. So,I took the scenic route. I'm already admitting that I'm pathetic, Paige! Don't rub it in," Emily said, with a jovial rub of Paige's shoulder. "Anyway, so, I saw that your light was on, and I drove by another couple of times before I worked up the nerve to knock on your door. I _know_ that it was stupid, Paige, but..." Emily sighed deeply. "I really thought that I looked good that night, and I just wanted _someone_ to notice that." Emily buried her face in Paige's shoulder.

"Believe me, I noticed how good you looked," Paige said, squeezing Emily's shoulder and kissing her cheek. "That's actually why I brought it up." Emily looked at Paige and smiled weakly. Paige took her hand and helped Emily up as she stood up. Still holding her hand, she said, "I thought that maybe you could slip on that dress and we could go dancing," and she improvised some Salsa moves.

"Really?" Emily was now smiling broadly as she mirrored Paige's dance steps. "You want to take me dancing?" She took Paige's face in her hands and gave her a kiss. "You are so much cooler than my ex."

Paige laughed. "That's why she's your ex," she said.

"Does it have to be that dress?" Emily said, contemplating her wardrobe.

"That dress, or something similar," Paige said, shrugging her shoulders trying her best to act casual before she broke down and admitted, in a barely audible voice, "I may or may not have had impure dreams about you and that dress after you left that night."

Emily cupped Paige's cheeks and kissed her softly, as much turned on by what Paige had said as by the shy smile that she was sporting when she said it. "Then the white dress it is," she said with a smile, still holding her face close.

"Emily, you don't have to," Paige said, embarrassed as she turned her face away from Emily's grasp. "Wear whatever you like," she shrugged, still trying to sound casual.

"The white dress," Emily asserted. "Tonight, we make your dreams come true!" Paige leaned in and started to kiss Emily. Before things got too heated, Emily lightly smacked Paige on the cheek. "Get out of here," she smiled. "Pick me up in an hour?"

Paige, unable to speak, nodded her head and backed her way out of Emily's room on shaky legs. When she got to her car, she sat for a moment with her hand on the steering wheel to collect herself before she tried to drive. Once she had stilled her trembling hands and gotten her breathing and heart-rate back to normal, she put the car in gear and backed out of the driveway with a huge smile of anticipation stretched across her face. Emily had promised to make her dreams come true.

* * *

Emily was dancing almost the entire time that she got ready. It wasn't so much rehearsing for her night of dancing with Paige as it was the inability to keep her excitement at bay. It was really good to know that Paige thought of her that way - and had, apparently, been thinking about that dress for quite some time.

Emily wasn't sure how much Paige remembered of what she had on that night, but she wanted to change things up a bit; to dress up just for _Paige_ , not just give her a rerun of Samara's outfit. She decided to go with a silver necklace, one that fell high on her neckline, drawing attention to the collarbone. She added a half-dozen thin, silver bangles on her left wrist, and a silver bracelet on her right ankle. She wrapped a sliver-tone belt around the waist of the dress, drawing it just close enough to accentuate her curves. She chose a selection of coordinating rings - just to add a little flash under the lights on the dance floor. She finished with a light, citrus perfume; something that would stay with her subtly all night; something to imprint the memory of the Night of the White Dress in Paige's brain.

Emily was waiting when Paige rang the doorbell. Paige came inside and gave her a quick kiss, breathing deeply of her scent and telling her how amazing she looked. Before she backed away from the embrace, Emily squeezed the triangle at the top of the maroon necktie that was loosely hanging below the collar of Paige's shirt.

Pam gave a knowing smile from the kitchen, holding her coffee cup with both hands. "Have fun tonight," she called out cheerfully, adding, "I won't wait up!"

Paige walked Emily out to the car with her arm wrapped around her waist, a respectable distance above her hips. She helped Emily into the car and closed the door behind her. Emily remembered just how short the dress was once she was sitting.

She was still feeling dance-y, so she took Paige's hand into her lap, surrounding it with both of her hands, just to ground herself. "So, where are we headed?" she asked, to break the ice.

Seeing Emily in that dress again - and driving while her hand was being warmed in Emily's lap - made Paige want to change her plans. "Back to my place," she muttered under her breath. Emily looked over at her, confused. "Uh - to Philly," she corrected. "I want to try out this vegan place in Old City"

Emily still had an eyebrow raised. "Vegan?"

"Yeah - vegan, Eco-friendly, gluten-free, yada yada yada."

Emily shook her head, biting her lip as she smiled. "You're really trying to score points, aren't you?"

"What?" Paige asked, looking innocent.

"We're going to try a _vegan_ place?" Paige nodded. "You do know that steak's not vegan, right?"

Paige rolled her eyes. "I can find something to eat on any menu," she chanted.

Emily had heard that line from Paige before. Often. "Well, I guess we'll really get to put that theory to the test tonight."

Paige freed her hand and reached into the glove compartment. "And, then, afterwards, we're headed here," she said, producing a flyer that advertised a big-band night at the Convention Center.

"So, you've had this planned for some time, huh?"

Paige nodded, beaming with pride.

"And you just assumed that I'd be free on a Friday night?" Emily joked.

Paige placed her hand back in Emily's lap and gave her thigh a gentle squeeze. "I figured I'd be able to persuade you!"

Paige may not have realized it, but Emily was already warmed up. Paige's hand was just a little too close for comfort. Emily put her hand on top of Paige's and subtly slid it a bit farther from the goal line. Paige picked up on the gesture and eased off a little.

* * *

"How's your _salad_?" Emily asked, speaking the word with a bit of mocking in her tone.

"It's actually not bad," Paige enthused. "Do you want to try some?"

"Not with all those hot peppers," Emily laughed. Paige teased her by dangling a forkful of peppers in front of her face. "Go easy on those," Emily cautioned. "I'm the one who's going to be kissing you later!"

"The peppers are what make it tolerable," Paige said, shoving the fork into her mouth. "They almost make me forget that I'm not eating meat! - Ooh!" Paige ducked down and whispered, "Am I allowed to use that word in here?" Emily swatted at her arm. "How's your... squash thingy?" Paige inquired, turning up her nose at the item as she pointed her fork in a circular motion at the morsel of the gluten-free butternut squash burrito that was headed towards Emily's lips.

"Awesome! Do you want to try it?"

Paige frowned like a child reacting to Brussels Sprouts and shook her head no.

Emily tried to sigh, but it came out as a laugh. "You are so cute when you're childish," she said, rubbing her calf up Paige's. It was a prelude of what was to come on the dance floor.

* * *

The Convention Center was laid out with a series of large, circular tables around a wooden dance area. There was a no-name big band playing standards from the forties and fifties. The crowd was largely gray heads, with a smattering of hipsters.

There were some lively tunes that gave them the opportunity to twirl, swing, and dip, but, for the most part, they danced close, holding each other and swaying to the music. They exchanged the occasional kiss, but they mostly kept things casual. It wasn't for fear that they would offend anyone. Paige had chosen to go dancing in Philadelphia rather than in Rosewood with the expectation that they would be less likely to run into small-minded bigots in the city. They kept their dancing chaste more as part of an unspoken agreement to let the tension and anticipation for the third part of the evening build up.

When the band played, "Unforgettable," Paige held Emily a bit tighter, singing the words into her ear in a low rasp:

 _Unforgettable, that's what you are  
Unforgettable, though near or far  
Like a song of love that sings to me  
How the thought of you does things to me  
Never before  
Has someone been more  
Unforgettable in every way  
And forevermore, that's how you'll stay  
That's why, darling, it's incredible  
That someone so unforgettable  
Thinks that I am unforgettable, too_

There was no stopping the kiss after that song. It was deep and full of love, and it filled Emily with mixed emotions. She didn't want the moment to end, but she couldn't wait to get back to Rosewood and Paige's bed.

"Where did you learn that song?" Emily asked, half-wondering whether Paige had made up the words as she went.

"Old Nat 'King' Cole classic," Paige explained. "Growing up, it was Southern Gospel and Nat 'King' Cole in the McCullers household."

Emily made a mental note to add the tune to the "Romance" mix on her phone, although she was sure that this "King Cole" guy could never sing it as sweetly as she had just heard it sung from Paige's lips.

Throughout the next song, the slightly slower-tempoed "Satin Doll," they exchanged a lot of meaningful looks and chaste kisses, until Emily simply said, "Paige." She said the name flatly, with no hint of desperation or emotion. She didn't say it as a question or a demand. Paige knew exactly what she meant, though. As the next song started up, Paige steered them off of the dance floor and back to their table to collect their handbags before they headed to the exit.

They walked to the waiting area for the valet with Emily's arms enveloping Paige's waist and her head on Paige's shoulder. While they waited behind some others who had also left early, Emily released her grip around Paige's waist, breathing out a heavy sigh and tapping her foot, trying not to let her impatience to get home show. She stepped in front of Paige, facing her as she wrapped her arms around her waist and pulled her in for a long kiss. "Thank you," she whispered into Paige's ear. "Tonight has been almost perfect."

"Almost?" Paige grinned.

"Well, it's not over yet." The look that Emily gave Paige left no doubt what she was referring to, but Emily completed her thought. "The best part is still to come."

* * *

"So, you had fun tonight?" Paige asked after she handed the ticket to the parking attendant and they waited for him to retrieve the car.

Emily answered with a kiss to Paige's cheek. "I could definitely do that more often!"

"Same here," Paige said, determined to follow through on that.


	25. The Return of the White Dress (Pt 2)

When the Convention Center's parking attendant pulled Paige's car around, Paige ushered Emily into the passenger's seat and went around the other side, to get behind the wheel. "How about we get a drink before we head back?"

Emily let out a breath. "Sure!" she said with a genuine smile. She really just wanted to get back to Rosewood and into Paige's arms again. But there was no need to rush, she decided. This was Paige's dream, after all. She would let Paige take the lead.

Paige drove through Center City, pulling off at the Sofitel Hotel just off Rittenhouse Square. _Interesting choice for drinks,_ Emily thought. Paige walked around to the passenger's side, opened the door, and helped Emily out, escorting her to the landing in front of the hotel's entrance before she went back to the car and retrieved a couple of bags from the trunk. Emily gave her a confused smile as they entered the hotel arm in arm, through the door that the valet was holding open for them. "Fancy place," Emily said, taking in the surroundings of the upscale hotel.

"Hotwire," Paige explained. "I didn't think that we'd want to drive back to Rosewood tonight."

"You really did think of everything, didn't you?" Emily remarked. It felt good to know that Paige had put some time, thought, and effort into this evening. And, so far, Paige had done a great job. Emily squeezed Paige's arm, unable to hide her excitement.

Paige couldn't help getting frisky at the first moment that they were alone - during the elevator ride to the ninth floor. She had been waiting for this - alone-time with Emily - from the moment that she saw that dress on Emily when she picked her up for dinner. The night of dancing had only stoked the flames.

"You promised me drinks," Emily teased as the elevator opened to their floor and Paige's lips disengaged from hers. Emily felt a little lightheaded as she smoothed the hem of her dress back into place.

Paige tapped the keycard against the lock and opened the door, exclaiming, "Voilà!" as she gestured with both palms toward the bottle of Champagne that was chilling inside the room. She pulled a pair of chairs up to the window, and they sat silently sipping champagne, holding hands and kissing occasionally as they looked out at the city's lights.

Before long, Emily shifted her gaze to Paige, the cityscape unable to compete with the beauty of her girlfriend's face, resplendent in the glow of the lights of the city that were shining through the window. Emily set her glass down on the carpet and climbed into Paige's lap, kissing Paige's lips, jaw, and collar. Paige held her tight, enjoying the feel of Emily's body nestled in on hers and the taste of Champagne on Emily's breath.

Paige slowly eased the white dress up over Emily's hips and fondled her exposed cheeks, tugging occasionally at the lace of her thong. In the small space between them, Paige could feel the heat emanating from Emily's core. The throbbing between her own thighs was growing uncomfortable. She needed to get out of her clothes.

She stood, suddenly, and Emily wrapped her legs around her waist, holding on for dear life. "The curtains!" she moaned.

"We're nine floors up!"

"Close them," Emily insisted, and Paige did, using one hand to pull the cord while she held Emily steady with her other hand.

Paige walked over the bed and lowered Emily onto the mattress. Rather than lying down, Emily sat with her legs over the side of the bed, staring into Paige's eyes with a look that made Paige melt. She wanted to rip Paige's clothes off, but she remembered: This is Paige's dream. So, when Paige put her hands on Emily's shoulders, Emily let herself fall backwards onto the mattress.

Paige put her hands on Emily's knees and gently parted them, Emily's dress still resting above her waist. Paige slowly undid her tie, then removed her vest and unbuttoned and removed her shirt. It was happening agonizingly slowly to Emily. She reached out, her back angling slightly off of the bed, to grab Paige's leg; just to maintain some physical contact. When Paige finally pulled her bra up and over head, Emily let out a moan that caused Paige to smile mischievously. She sank to her knees and grabbed Emily's foot, gently rubbing it as she kissed her way up from her ankle and her calf, stopping at the thigh. She repeated the action on the other leg before she pushed Emily's thong to the side and kissed Emily there, moaning in satisfaction at how ready Emily was. Paige began taking long, slow licks. Emily, who had been propped up on her elbows to observe Paige's every move, fell flat against the bed and started squeezing her breasts through her dress. Paige backed away and pushed up on the dress, signaling Emily to sit up and pull it over her head.

Emily's beautiful white dress, which had been the launching point for so many of Paige's fantasies, was unceremoniously flung across the room like an empty beer can at a frat party. With another quick motion, her bra met with the same fate, and, after a brief moment of distraction at the sight of Emily's perfect figure, Paige and her mouth got back to business as Emily collapsed helplessly back onto the bed.

Paige's memory of that night would always include the hint of citrus mixed with Emily's own natural scent, and the jingling of Emily's bangles as she she flailed desperately against the mattress. And, of course, the sight of the white dress slipping up Emily's body and over her head.

Before Emily drifted off to sleep, she got up to get her phone from her handbag. "What are you doing?" Paige called out wearily, using her forearm to shield her eyes from the light.

"I'm letting my Mom know where I am," Emily said.

"She knows," Paige replied.

"She knows that I'm staying with you, but I want to let her know that we're in Philly."

"She _knows_ ," Paige insisted. "She has the name and number of the hotel. I mean, go ahead and text her good night, but she knows where we are."

Emily laughed. Paige really had thought of everything. "How long has she been keeping that secret?"

"Not long. I gave her the information before I left your house when you were getting ready for tonight."

"So, what did you pack for me for tomorrow?"

"I packed up all of the make up and cosmetics that you had at my place," Paige yawned.

"And what did you pack for me to wear?"

"Don't worry," Paige assured her. "I packed your favorite outfit."

"Uh huh." Emily rolled her eyes, standing over Paige at the side of the bed. "And what would that be?"

"You know, that yellow, off the shoulder top and your jeans shorts. Really comfortable." Paige scrunched her face up, looking at Emily for approval - or mercy.

"Paige," Emily laughed, "that's not _my_ favorite outfit. That's _your_ favorite outfit for me to wear!"

Paige shrugged. "We'll, it _should_ be your favorite," she said, before she dodged the pillow that Emily smacked her with. "You look hot in it!"

"Come here, you crazy woman," Emily said as she cuddled up with Paige. She sighed contentedly. "Thanks for tonight. It was - beyond perfection." Paige kissed her behind the ear and cooed in satisfaction. "Mmmm," Emily moaned, adding, "I hope that it lived up to the dream?"

"Emily," Paige said, dead serious, "tonight was so much better than any dream. Ever."

Emily couldn't help laughing. She lovingly combed her fingers through Paige's hair, completely content with where life had taken her. "I wish that I could fall asleep like this with you every night," she said with no mumbling or hesitation. She felt safe enough to confess her true feelings to the woman she loved. The woman whom she loved, and who loved her back.

 _Soon_ , Paige thought. What she said was, "I love you." Emily's "I love you" was the last thing that Paige heard before she succumbed to sleep.

* * *

"Mmmm… Do we really have to leave?" Emily said, stretching, still half-asleep, but stirring when she felt Paige stir.

"Not for a couple of hours, actually," Paige said, rubbing Emily's back. "Check out time is noon."

"That feels good," Emily said softly.

"We could hang out here, but I thought that you might want to get some coffee and take a walk around."

"Well," Emily said, rolling over on top of Paige with a devilish grin, "If anything beats spending the next two hours in bed…" She paused and gave Paige a deep kiss, "coffee and a walk is a distant second!" She rolled off of Paige and sprang to her feet.

Paige, still dazed by the kiss, asked, "Is it too late for me to change my mind?"

"Yes!" Emily practically yelled. "Get up, McCullers! You definitely need to brush your teeth!"

Paige and Emily got showered and dressed and headed to La Colombe for coffee. They stood in line, Emily's arms wrapped around Paige's waist from behind and her chin on Paige's shoulder. "What do you want, Babe?" Paige asked.

"Just black coffee," Emily said, her chin digging into Paige's shoulder with each syllable. Paige couldn't resist kissing her cheek at the feeling. "And, split a muffin with me?"

"Sure," Paige said, with another kiss. "And have I mentioned that you look really hot in that outfit?" she asked, causing Emily to give her shoulder a bite.

* * *

After breakfast, they took a quick walk through Rittenhouse Square, and Paige led them up north on 19th Street. "That place," she said, pointing to the Sterling Apartments with the hand that was holding Emily's, "has a pool on the roof."

"Wow!" Emily looked up, trying to see how far up the building went.

"One of the guys from my office lives there. He says that they have a rooftop party every Fourth of July, to watch the fireworks from the Art Museum."

Emily stepped away from Paige, putting one hand on her hip while she shielded her eyes with the other, looking up to the top of the building. "It's safe," Paige assured her.

"If you say so," Emily said skeptically.

"You know One Franklintown, over by Sabrina's?" Emily nodded. "They have an indoor pool. We'd be able to swim year round."

Emily quirked her eyebrows, trying to make sure that she'd heard Paige correctly. " _We'd_ be able to?" she asked.

Paige shrugged. "Yeah, if we lived there."

"Paige," Emily asked, stopping and putting her arms around Paige's neck, "Are you talking about moving in together?"

"I guess," Paige shrugged. "I mean, not right away. You're graduating next spring, so I was just thinking, if we _wanted_ to, once you start working, we could probably afford something in Center City." Emily laughed, lightly tossing her head back. "It was just a thought, Emily. We don't have to."

"No, Paige. Of course, we could talk about it. And I know that you said that you would love to live in Philly, but what about your house?"

"I could rent it out. Or flip it. I put a lot of work into it, so I should be able to get a decent price out of it. Besides, _if_ we move in together," Paige said, still hedging, not wanting to appear too eager, "wouldn't you want it to be _our_ place, not just _my_ place that I made room for you in?"

"Well, eventually, sure, I'd like to build our place."

"I _know_ , Em. I'm not saying move in with me _tomorrow_!" Paige thought, from the way that Emily had spoken of falling asleep and waking up together, that it would be a good time to start the discussion about moving in together. Now, she wished that she had handled it better. She didn't want Emily to think that she was pressuring her.

"You didn't let me finish, Paige. I'd like to build _our_ place eventually, but I wouldn't have a problem sharing your place, if we had to, at first."

"Noted!" Paige said, nodding her head. She grabbed Emily's hand, again, and they continued their walk.

* * *

Once the subject of moving in together had been broached, and Emily and Paige knew that they were in agreement, Emily began spending more time at Paige's place.

It was an adjustment for Pam. The house, which was big for their family of three, seemed even bigger with both her husband and her daughter away. But she was genuinely happy for Emily. She did worry, though, that Emily was imposing on Paige.

"I'm just saying, Emmy. You don't want to wear out your welcome. Have you and Paige ever discussed it?"

That question got Emily thinking. She and Paige had discussed moving in together at some point in the future, after Emily graduated, and Paige had given her a key, but they hadn't discussed the fact that Emily was spending more and more of her nights there.

So, that night, after Emily helped clean up from dinner, she gave Paige a good-night kiss and gathered her things to head home. Paige was caught off guard. She had just assumed that Emily was staying over, as usual. "Was it something I said?" she asked, forcing a smile.

Emily let out a deep breath. "No, Paige. It was something that my Mom said, and it got me thinking" she explained, telling Paige what Pam had said about overstaying her welcome.

Paige took Emily by the hand and led her to the sofa. She took a seat, still holding Emily's hand, and pulled her into her lap. "Emily," she said, sighing despite herself, "do you remember when I came home in a bad mood that night after a long day at work, and you were here?"

Emily remembered. Paige had made it clear that she wanted to be alone. "You don't have to say it, Paige," she said, standing up. "I understand boundaries. It's okay."

"I'd _like_ to say it," Paige implored, pulling Emily back onto her lap. "Please?" Emily nodded. Paige eased Emily's head onto her shoulder and gave it a kiss. "When I heard the front door close after I told you that I wanted to be alone, I realized that it was the stupidest thing that I had ever said. And, when you came back and climbed into bed with me, I just felt like the luckiest person on the planet. And, I guess what I learned that night, Emily, is that, even when I want to be alone, I want to have you there with me." Paige thought that she felt Emily smile against her shoulder. "If that makes sense," she added.

Emily sat up, straddling Paige, and gave her a long hug. "It might not make sense," she said, pausing to give Paige a kiss, "but it's the sweetest, most romantic thing that I've ever heard."


	26. Paige's News

"Hey, Paige!" Emily smiled into her phone as she lay on her stomach, amid a collection of textbooks on top of her bed. "How's it going?"

"Not bad, Em. How are you?"

"I'm good." Emily moved to a sitting position, her legs crossed, her mood improved by the unexpected call from her girlfriend - and the unplanned break from studying. "What's up?"

"What are you up to tonight?"

"I'm just finishing up some homework. Why?"

"Just something that I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh, sure, I can take a break."

"… but, I don't really want to do it over the phone, you know? I was kind of hoping that you could come over tonight, but, since you're working…"

"Where are you, Paige?"

"I'm in the garage, picking up my car." Emily heard the squeak as Paige hit the button on her key fob, as if in confirmation of that fact.

"Well, I can finish up and get over to your place before you get back to Rosewood?"

"Are you sure? I don't want to keep you from your studies!"

"I'm almost finished, Paige, honestly. What did you want to talk about?"

"Oh, just some news."

"Good news or bad news?" Emily was getting a little apprehensive.

"Eh," Paige shrugged. "I don't know that it's either. It's just information, I guess. It's neutral." The line went silent, so Paige revised her answer. "I mean, it's good, if anything. But, I guess that you'd have be the judge of that."

"Paige!"

"It's good, it's good," Paige affirmed, hoping to calm her girlfriend. "Just, you know, more than I can discuss on the phone. Especially when I'm driving."

"Can you at least tell me what it's about?"

"Well," Paige started but then hesitated. "You know what? Once I start, I'd just end up trying to tell you the whole thing, and it'd really be better face-to-face."

"Ugh!"

"It's nothing to worry about, really, Em. I'll see you really soon, okay?"

"Yeah, fine, Paige." Emily tried not to sound too frustrated. As soon as the call ended, she said to her empty room, "I swear, she can be so annoying sometimes!" She was smiling when she said it.

Before she finished taking notes on the final chapter of her assignment and put everything away, she walked quickly downstairs, hoping to catch her mother before she started dinner, to let her know that she was going to go over to Paige's house.

"No problem," Pam said. "I'll just heat up some leftovers for myself tonight. What's going on? Last minute date?"

"No, Paige just has some news that she wants to tell me face-to-face."

"What kind of news?"

"That's what I'd like to know."

"Is it about her job?"

Emily shrugged.

"Is it good news or bad news?"

Emily shrugged.

"You didn't even get a hint?"

"Not because I didn't try, Mom!"

Pam gave her daughter a hug. "Your Dad can be like that too," she smiled. "It can be really…"

"Annoying," they both said together.

"Well, listen, text me when you find out whether it's good or bad, okay? I don't need the details. I just need to know that you're all right - that _you guys_ are all right."

"Of course I will, Mom."

"She's not being transferred again, is she?"

Emily frowned at her mom. It wasn't as if Emily was the one who was holding back information.

And why did her mom have to put that thought in her head?

* * *

Paige entered her house to the smell of dinner. Emily came bounding out of the kitchen, drying off her hands with a towel, as soon as she heard the key in the door.

"You cooked?" Paige said, leaning in for a kiss.

"Ha ha, very funny," Emily deadpanned. "I stopped off at The Grille on my way over." Emily wanted to make sure that dinner was on the table when Paige got home, so that there could be no excuses for further delays in getting to the big news.

"Ooh – did you get those broccoli bites that I love?" Paige pleaded eagerly.

"Of course!" Emily's tone betrayed more annoyance than she had hoped to let on.

"You're an absolute angel," Paige said, giving Emily a hug and another quick kiss.

"Yeah," Emily said flatly, pointing with her head and her index fingers to the dining room, trying to hurry things along. "Anyway, it's on the table, so…"

"Okay!" Paige said excitedly. "I just need to get out of my work clothes. Two seconds!"

"Fine!" Emily called out behind her. "I'll be in the dining room!' When Paige disappeared into the bedroom, she called a little louder (and a lot more sarcastically), "Take your time!"

"It's not as if anyone ever actually died from worrying," she muttered to herself.

* * *

"So," Paige said, with a big smile and an over-abundance of enthusiasm when she sat down to dinner, "you'll never guess whom I ran into at lunch today!" Emily gave Paige an I'm-so-not-in-the-mood-to-guess-after-waiting-all-this-time glare, but before Paige could even pick up on the look, she shouted out the answer: "Samara!"

Emily gasped, recoiling a bit in her chair. "Samara?" She still didn't know whether the news was good news or bad, but Paige's smile and eagerness told her that it couldn't have been too bad.

* * *

 _Paige decided that she needed a break from the office, so she headed out to eat at lunchtime, ending up at Corner Bakery, a few short blocks away. As she lingered over her panini, she felt a hand on her shoulder. When she looked up, she heard, "Paige? I thought that was you!" from Emily's smiling ex-girlfriend._

" _Samara," Paige replied, her expression blank, not knowing what to make of the encounter or of Samara's apparent happiness at seeing her._

" _I can't believe that we haven't run into each other over lunch before," Samara chuckled.  
_

" _Well, I don't venture out that often at lunch, but it's nice out today, so…" After a pause, Paige added, "Would you care to join me?" and Samara sat on the other side of the booth, placing the card with her order number in the holster._

" _So, how's Emily?" Samara asked. She seemed surprisingly upbeat._

Okay. We're jumping right into this, I guess, _Paige thought. "She's… good_ _." Paige didn't quite know how to answer that question. Things were great with Emily, but is that what one says to an ex? "We're good, I mean," she added. For some reason, she wanted to make sure that Samara knew that they she and Emily were solid.  
_

" _Well, that's… good." Samara and Paige both laughed. "I'm really glad for her – for_ you. _For both of you."_

" _Well, thanks," Paige said, trying to mute her smile._

" _Please don't wait for me," Samara said. Paige hadn't realized that she had stopped eating until Samara made that comment._

" _It's okay," she said. "I'm in no rush."_

" _You know," Samara leaned into the table and folded her hands, "Emily deserved more than she got out of our relationship."_

" _Samara, we don't have to do this…"_

" _No, I'm not putting myself down, and I'm not going to get weepy. We were just at different stages, you know? I'm the kind of person who's content enough with stability, and routine, and I know that it made things hard on Emily. And I tried to change, for her sake, but, you know what? Sooner or later, we all revert to type. I knew that, in the long run, I wouldn't be what Emily needed. I mean, I could've lived with the status quo, but, deep down, I knew that Emily was going to need more. Anyway," Samara smiled, aware that she was saying way too much, "I still care about her, and I can't tell you how happy I am that she's found happiness with you."_

 _Paige smiled and dipped her head._

" _You're good for her, Paige. And I'm not just saying that. I used to see how happy she was after her lunches with you, and it made me happy. So, if it couldn't be me, and I know that it couldn't," she said, holding her hands up, drawing a smile from Paige, "I'm really happy that it's you."_

" _Wow," Paige said, overwhelmed. "I don't know what to say."_

" _I know, right? What do you say to that?" Paige couldn't believe how happy Samara genuinely seemed. "But, would you do me a favor? Would you just let her know that I'm really very happy for her, and that I don't have any bad feelings or bad memories from our time together?"_

" _Sure, Samara. I'll definitely tell her," Paige said in a deep, serious voice. "I know that she doesn't have any bad feelings, either."_

" _Whew! What a heavy lunch conversation, huh?" Samara laughed. "So, where do you work?"_

* * *

"And after that," Paige told Emily, "we just exchanged small-talk and casual chit-chat. We exchanged numbers, too. She said that we should get together for lunch more often, and I honestly think that I'll take her up on it."

Emily, who had been listening in open-mouthed silence, suddenly burst out laughing. Paige looked at her, puzzled and slightly nervous. She didn't really know how to read Emily's reaction, but she worried that Emily was laughing at the absurdity of Paige thinking that it was okay for her to plan to have lunches with her ex. Paige didn't want to be in the position of having to figure out how to tell Samara that they couldn't have lunch in a way that didn't make Emily look paranoid, jealous, or possessive.

"Oh, my God, Paige," Emily explained, "When I was dating Samara, you and I used to meet for lunch, and now that I'm dating you, you and Samara are going to be meeting for lunch!"

Paige gave Emily a half-smile. "You're okay with that?"

Emily grabbed Paige's forearm and gave it a squeeze. "Yeah, of course I am, Paige. I just think that it's weird how we both ended up having lunch dates with you!"

Emily burst into loud laughter again.

"What's so funny?" Paige asked, smiling in anticipation.

"I guess Sam and I are finally on the same _Paige_!" Emily barely got the words out through her convulsions of laughter.

"Oh, yeah," Paige said, flatly, ignoring Emily's hysterics. "Good one. I haven't heard that one like a million times over the past 26 years!"

"Just admit it, Paige: I'm hilarious! You _love_ me!"

"Well, you're half right," Paige conceded. As they began eating, Paige asked, "Have you talked with her?"

Emily shook her head. "Not since we broke up."

Paige nodded in understanding. "Have you thought about it?"

Emily shrugged. "Not really."Paige didn't seem to be insecure about the prospect of Emily talking with her ex. She certainly didn't need to be. Still, Emily wasn't sure how it would sound to say that she had thought about contacting Samara. Her reply was honest, though. She hadn't given any serious thought to contacting Samara. There was no reason to contact her.

"Well, I don't know how you feel about it," Paige said in an even tone, but with a piercing gaze, "but I think that Samara wouldn't mind hearing from you - just to know that you're okay, and that there are no hard feelings." she let Emily digest that before she added, "I think she wouldn't mind being friends.

Emily set down her silverware and tilted her head, half-smiling as she stared at Paige. She held the gaze for a second or so before she picked her silverware back up, shaking her head as she started eating again.

"What?" Paige asked with a smile.

"Oh, come on, Paige. You've got to know that it's weird, having my girlfriend telling me that I should try to be friends with my ex!"

"I guess," Paige said skeptically. "Still..."

"I'll call her, I'll call her," Emily assured her, popping a broccoli bite into her mouth.

* * *

Emily waited until dinner was over and she and Paige were clearing the table to spring her own news on Paige.

"Well, I have some news of my own," she said playfully.

"Yeah?" Paige's eyes widened eagerly.

"Yeah," Emily said flatly. "Big news. Huge. But I can't tell you till tomorrow."

Paige laughed lightly. "Well, that gives me something to look forward to!"

"Damn it, Paige!" Paige was confused. "It doesn't bother you that I'm not going to tell you till tomorrow?" Emily wanted Paige to see for herself how it felt when someone teased a big news story and then made the other person wait, but she was foiled by Paige's natural lack of curiosity.

"I guess... but you'll tell me when the timing's right. Right?"

"Ugh!" Emily smiled, putting her arms around Paige's neck and pulling her in for a kiss. "Sometimes," she said, pulling Paige in for another kiss, "you can be," one more kiss, "so frustrating!" She punctuated the last two words by squeezing Paige's cheeks between her hands.

"I'm sorry?" Paige breathed out as best as she could, with her lips contorted by Emily's hands.

"I just wanted to show you that you can't tell someone that you've got news and let her worry all evening about what the news is. But, the joke's on me, I guess, because you obviously have no curiosity!"

"Sorry," Paige said, shrugging her shoulders and arching her eyebrows, leaving her shoulders raised as she continued, "I guess I have the accountant's low-key attitude."

Emily rolled her eyes. "Well, it's annoying," she scolded through a smile.

"So, _do_ you have news?"

"Yes," Emily sighed. "And I'd make you wait till tomorrow, but it would be kill me to have to wait to tell you, whereas you would be fine with it!" Paige shrugged and raised her hands, tilting her head as if to say, "What can I say?"

Emily's eyes widened and her lips spread to a smile. "My Dad's coming back to Rosewood!"

Paige gasped in surprise and excitement. The next thing either of them knew, Paige had grabbed Emily, lifting her off of the ground and spinning her a full 360 degrees before she set her feet back on the kitchen floor and held her close for what felt like several minutes. Paige moved her hand to the back of Emily's head, caressing it lightly before she spoke. "Like, for good?" Emily nodded her head, her teeth on display as she smiled. "Emily, that's huge!"

Emily, grateful for Paige's enthusiasm, replied, "Right? I've missed him so much!"

"So, you'll be spending more time at home, I take it?"

Emily looked down, nodding slowly. She was about to speak, but Paige cut her off. "No, of course, Emily! You don't need to explain - or to feel guilty."

"Only for a little while," Emily explained anyway, sadness tinging her words. "I really miss him, you know?"

Paige nodded. "Of course, you do. And he misses you, too. God - I'm so happy for you and your mom."

"Maybe you can spend some time at our house, too?" Emily offered, suddenly shy. "Like, dinner and stuff? He's dying to meet you..."

"Yeah, of course, Em!" Paige smiled to hear that Emily's father was looking forward to meet her. "I can't wait to meet him, either. And I'd like to have you guys over here, sometime."

"Thanks," Emily said, lightly grazing Paige's cheek with her fingertips. Her body jolted with a burst of anticipation. "I can't wait for him to get here!"

"When is he getting in?"

"End of the month."

"Well, if you need a ride to the airport or anything, just let me know. Depending on the date, of course. You know how crazy my job gets around the end of the month."

"Thanks, Paige," Emily said with a kiss. "I think that my Mom and I have it covered, though."

* * *

 **A/N - I just realized that I've had Emily say, "Damn it, Paige" in my last three Paily fics... (:  
**


	27. A Chance of Wayne

Paige picked up her phone with a hearty hello. It was late, and she was tired, but Hanna was on the line, and Hanna was always good for a laugh.

"Hey, Paigey!"

"Hey, the only person in the world who can get away with calling me 'Paigey!' "

"You've got that right! Anyway. This is serious. It's only a couple of days away. Are you okay? Are you nervous? Do you need a hand to hold?"

Paige laughed at the dramatic tone that Hanna was maintaining. "I'm fine, Hanna."

"Well, you won't be! You should be shitting bricks! Do you even know what you're in for once Lieutenant Colonel Fields gets here?"

"I'm not getting worked up about it. I'm just going to be myself and..."

"Nope! Bad plan! You have to be Ms. Perfect!" Hanna started rattling off advice. "Make sure you stand up perfectly straight..."

"Hanna - "

"And be ultra polite..."

"Hanna - "

"And no elbows on the table at dinner. That makes him angry."

"Hanna - "

"And you do _not_ want to see him angry! Oh - and whatever you do, don't look him in the eyes. He'll try to get you to look him in the eyes, but it's a trap!"

At this point, Paige was holding the phone about six inches from her ear, waiting for a lapse in the sounds from the other end. "Oh, are you finished?" she asked, when the line went quiet.

"Paigey! This is serious! Colonel Fields is like 10 feet tall, with metal teeth, and a grip like the jaws of life!"

"Okay, are you sure that this wasn't just a dream that you had? Like, after you were up way too late, watching 'Moonraker,' or 'The Spy Who Loved Me?' "

"You know that he carries a gun, right? And that his hands are lethal weapons? Seriously, Paige, why do you think Emily went through all those girlfriends in high school?"

"Um, because she was young and immature and trying to find herself?"

"Nope. It was Lieutenant Colonel Wayne 'I'm Bringing the Pain' Fields!"

* * *

"So, basically, she made him sound like Predator vs. Terminator, with a bit of Godzilla thrown it. She was obviously just trying to wind me up," Paige explained to Spencer as they cooled down in the locker room. "I mean, I guess there may be _some_ truth to it, but she was way over the top."

"Yeah. There's not a shred of truth to any of that. He's really low-key, and very supportive of Emily and her relationships."

Paige sighed in relief. Spencer continued, "Although..."

"What?" It concerned Paige that Spencer had something to say.

"Let's just hope that hematoma clears up before Tuesday," she said, gesturing toward a hickey on Paige's neck.

* * *

"So, are you excited about meeting my Dad tomorrow?" Emily asked as she and Paige lay curled up together on the couch.

"I am!"

"Are you _nervous_?" Emily asked, with a bit of teasing in her tone.

Paige shrugged, curling her mouth downward in thought. "A little, I guess, but, you know. Why worry about things that you can't control?"

"Paige," Emily laughed, "you can't just _decide_ not to be nervous! It's not something that you can turn on and off."

"I guess I agree with you on that to a certain extent," Paige said, her voice getting higher as she thought it through, "but, in the end, you decide what you're going to obsess over and what you just let happen."

Emily smirked. "Well I wish that I could be as zen as you are!" Paige smiled at Emily's skepticism and pulled her hug a little tighter.

"Anyway, he's going to love you," Emily added after a pause, going ahead with her words of reassurance, even though Paige was playing it cool.

A few moments later, Paige asked, "Does he know that we're sleeping together?"

Emily sat up in Paige's arms, turning to face her, and placed a hand on her chest. "Why?" she asked with a sarcastic grin. "Were you planning to bring it up?"

"Yes. Exactly that. And then, I was going to go for a high five!" Paige raised her hand for a high five, and Emily grabbed it, squeezing it a bit too hard and making a face at Paige, as payback for Paige's mocking answer.

"He knows that I've stayed over. And he knows that I was sexually active in high school." Emily looked at Paige out of the corner of her eye. Paige waited, sensing that there was more coming. "Paige, we've never really talked about our pasts, have we?"

Paige sighed. "Is that something that you _want_ to talk about?"

"Don't you?"

Paige read the fact that Emily wanted to talk about it in Emily's reply, so she nodded, her chin rising up and down against the top of Emily's head.

"I know that you've heard from my friends about all the girlfriends that I had in high school. I mean, not _had_ had. You know what I mean." Emily's nerves were getting the better of her. She decided just to get to the point. "I just don't want you to think that I'm some kind of slut." she glanced up at Paige quickly before she nestled her head back into the safety of Paige's shoulder.

Paige lifted Emily's chin and looked her in the eyes. "I _know_ that you're not a slut," she said gently.

"Or that I _was_ a slut, then."

Paige let out a deep breath. "Look, Emily, I know that it's important to you for you to tell me this, but, trust me: I'm not overly worried about who you were or _what_ you were in high school. All of that shaped who you are right now, and who you are right now is whom I love. So, I don't regret any of those past girlfriends, and I hope that you don't, either."

Emily lowered her head into Paige's chest. That wasn't the point. She knew that Paige loved her. She just wanted Paige to know that she hadn't hopped from bed to bed the way that she hopped from girlfriend to girlfriend. "I didn't sleep with everyone I dated. That's all I'm saying." Emily's tone was a mixture of defeated and bitter.

"I know, Emily," Paige said, keeping her tone even. "And, to be honest, I didn't know that you had been sexually active in high school until about two minutes ago."

That got Emily's attention. She picked her head up from Paige's chest and looked her in the eye, her eyebrows raised. "You didn't assume?"

"Emily, serial dating doesn't imply serial banging. There are a lot of reasons that people date a lot. Maybe they're looking for the right one. Is that what _you_ were doing, maybe?"

Emily shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know what I was doing. It was as if the Universe kept throwing lesbians - or curious women - my way. I guess I was so immature that I fell for all of them... Most of them," she corrected, after a beat.

"Or maybe you were just waiting for the right one." Paige jostled Emily's shoulder. "You had to kiss a lot of frogs before you found me!"

"That would make me the princess and you the frog?"

"That sounds about right," Paige said, leaning in for a kiss. "Better not kiss me too often," Paige said in a low rasp, "or I might turn back."

Emily smiled at that, and at the kiss, but, soon, she was serious again. "I just hate that people think... I mean, I know that _you_ don't, and my friends don't, but..."

"Yeah. It sucks the assumptions that people make based on what they want to believe."

Emily nodded into Paige's chest, idly drawing designs with her finger in the open space between the unbuttoned collar of Paige's shirt. She was glad to know that Paige hadn't assumed - and that Paige now knew the truth - but she had had enough of this conversation about her past. "How about you?"

"My sex life?" Paige asked, earning a pinch from the fingers that had been soothing on her chest moments earlier. "I don't know, Em. You know that I didn't have much of a social life before I came to Rosewood and started hanging out with the 'It' girls."

"But you must've dated?"

"Yeah - a couple of times," Paige shrugged. "Once seriously."

"What happened?"

Paige exhaled, trying to figure out how to put it. "She just... wanted more from the relationship than I was willing to give, I guess. I guess I knew that she wasn't 'the one,' you know?" Paige said, making air quotes. "So I wasn't all that eager to give her all of myself."

"Wait - so you never..." Emily looked up, confused. "Paige, was I your first?"

"Oh, no!" Paige said, a little to quickly. "I mean, not to say that there were a lot before you, just..." _Oh boy_. She was really painting herself into a corner. She decided to try humor as an escape hatch. "Why? Was I that bad our first time?"

"No!" Emily drew out the syllable as a response to Paige's attempt at humor. "It's just - if I had been your first - I mean, whoa! That's a heavy responsibility!"

"Well, no. You weren't. And my first wasn't all that heavy!"

Something that Paige had said haunted Emily: She hadn't given her all, because she knew that her girlfriend wasn't the one. Emily wondered whether or not that was why Samara seemed so detached when they were together. Emily had tried so hard to make that relationship work. She sighed internally. She didn't want to think about Samara, though. She was in her girlfriend's arms, and she was a only a few hours away from being in her father's arms. She found herself cuddling tighter into Paige, signaling that the talking part of the evening was over.

* * *

Pam and Emily rarely argued anymore, once Emily became an adult. But, as they got closer to the airport, they argued about who would go in to meet Wayne and who would wait in the cell-phone lot. Emily almost wished that she had taken Paige up on her offer of help with the pick-up, but she knew that it wouldn't be right. She knew that she and her mom would be pretty clingy, seeing her father after such a long time, and that would make Paige feel as if she were intruding on their family time. There was enough stress about meeting her girlfriend's parents without adding that to the mix.

In the end, she and Pam decided to pay to park in the short-term lot, so that they could both go inside to meet him.

Emily retrieved a "WELCOME HOME, LTC FIELDS" sign that she had printed in an explosion of Sharpie colors, and she and Pam walked, their arms around each other's waists, up to the arrivals hall. They headed up the escalator and walked across the people-movers to the series of double doors where passengers from all of the gates in Terminal F exited.

And they waited.

Whenever they saw a group of people exiting, they scanned them for signs that they had come in on the flight from Texas. Emily tapped her mom's shoulder and pointed when she picked out a tall, thin man in a Longhorns cap, a pretty good indicator that it was Wayne's flight. But they knew that they would still have to wait. Wayne Fields wasn't one of those people who rushed to jockey for position in the aisle the moment the "Fasten Seat Belts" sign was turned off. He sat patiently, letting others duke it out, until the line started to move. And he always stopped to help people around him retrieve their luggage. That was just the kind of person he was. When he was traveling in uniform, he felt even more inclined to be pleasant and helpful, as a good-will ambassador for the armed services.

As admirable as all of that was, Pam and Emily just wanted him to hurry out to them.

Soon enough, they noticed a camouflage cap sticking above the rest of the heads in the crowd, moving toward them in that deliberate gait of a career military man. Emily sheepishly held her sign up as she watched her dad's eyes scanning the crowd of people waiting for their loved ones. His mouth stretched into a smile when he caught sight of his wife and daughter. Walking over to them, he dropped his bag and gathered them both into his strong, wide arms.

Pam broke the promise that she had made to herself not to cry.

* * *

Emily texted Paige to let her know that they had picked her father up and were headed home. Paige stopped by later in the afternoon to say hello. She had made it clear to Emily that she wasn't going to stay long, because she knew that the family needed some time to themselves after such a long time apart.

Wayne Fields was an imposing figure, still in his camouflage uniform. He had a ready smile, though, and an easy disposition, and Paige was immediately put at ease.

After a cup of coffee and the exchange of the usual pleasantries, Paige got up to excuse herself.

"Sit!" Wayne urged. "Stay! Have some dinner!"

"Thanks, Wayne," (as she had learned to call him) "but I think that I'll take a rain check. You guys need some time to reconnect."

"Nonsense," he laughed. "Stay and have dinner. Then, maybe you can get this one out of the house," he nodded towards Emily, "so that Pam and I can _really_ reconnect!" he said with a wink at Paige.

Emily's jaw hit the floor. "Daaaaad!" she screeched as she elbowed Paige in the ribs, to silence her laughter.

"I think, maybe, I'll take Emily out to dinner tonight," Paige said, standing up and basically dragging a mortified Emily toward the door. "It looks as if she's going to die from embarrassment if she stays here a minute longer!"

"She's a keeper!" Wayne told Emily. He got up to get the door for Paige, telling her with an easy laugh, "Now, don't feel that you need to rush to get her back home tonight!"

Wayne reached for his wallet, but Paige waved him off. "I'll take care of Emily," Paige assured him. "You take care of Pam!" Emily gave her another sharp elbow and pushed her out of the door.

"What the hell, Paige?" Emily yelled in disbelief, once she and Paige were safely in Paige's car.

"I love your dad, Em!" Paige said with a broad smile. "He's really chill!"

"I love him, too, but..." Emily was fighting to hold it together. "But... Paige... what the hell?"

"I'm sorry, Em." Paige reached a comforting hand onto Emily's thigh. "Did you want to go back there?"

"No!" Emily almost yelled, punctuating the word with a slice of her hands in front of her. "No! Not until they cool the fuck down!"

"So you're spending the night?"

Emily looked over at Paige with pleading eyes.

"Yay! Thank you, Wayne and Pam!"

* * *

Emily was almost completely composed by the time they showed up for dinner with her parents the following night. Paige was under strict orders not to bring up the events that took place – in either bedroom – the night before. Not that anything had happened in Paige's bedroom. Emily was still too creeped out. Instead, they cuddled together on Paige's couch, and Emily introduced her to the movie "Rudy." It wasn't bad, Paige thought, but it definitely wasn't the kind of movie she would watch more than once.

Somewhere along the course of the evening, Paige noticed that Emily had fallen asleep. They were already dressed for bed, so Paige ejected the DVD, shut everything down, and carried Emily up to the bedroom. As Paige lumbered up the stairs, Emily woke up, but, before her drowsy mind could form the words, "What's happening?" she realized that she was in Paige's arms, and everything felt right. She put her arms around Paige's neck to secure herself a bit more and kissed Paige's chest. Paige laid her gently in the bed and climbed in behind her to hold her through the night.

"So, Emily tells me that you two are moving in together," Wayne said with a smile toward Paige. Emily shot him a death-glare. He knew what he was doing. She had said nothing of the sort to him. She had only mentioned, in one of their phone conversations, that she and Paige had looked around Philadelphia and talked about how nice it would be to live in the city. He was just trying to embarrass her in front of her girlfriend.

Before Emily could protest, Paige, as if she sensed what was going on, grabbed her hand and said, "Actually, we _are_ planning to move in together," adding, with a wink, "unless your daughter gets cold feet!"

Wayne was caught off guard by this information that he had just stumbled on. He coughed as his water went down the wrong way, but recovered quickly. "This is after she graduates, of course?"

"Oh, why wait?" Emily said cavalierly. "When it's right, it's right. The sooner the better, right, Babe?" She squeezed Paige's hand, for fear of scaring her off with that kind of talk.

Wayne was about to say something, but Pam cut him off. "Okay, you two," she said, sounding more than a little annoyed. "That's enough." Turning to Paige, she said, "You'll have to forgive them. They go after each other like this all the time. Although, let's be honest." She turned her attention to Emily. "You practically live together as it is."

Emily grinned weakly and looked over to Paige, to gauge her reaction. She didn't get what her mother was saying. Yes, she was at Paige's house almost every day, but she came home most nights. Then, it hit her. The reason that she came home every night was that she didn't want her mother to be alone. Were it not for that, her mother's assessment would probably have been accurate, and she would be living with Paige, for all intents and purposes. Now that Wayne was back in Rosewood, Emily wouldn't have to worry so much about her mother being alone.

Paige's face wasn't giving anything away. Emily couldn't tell how she was feeling about the conversation. But Emily resolved to talk it over with her, when it was just the two of them. If Paige had any reservations about having Emily move in, Emily would understand. There was no rush. But, if Paige was ready to take that step, Emily realized that she was ready, too.


	28. Yes! - Let's Rent a U-Haul!

After dinner and coffee with some light, pleasant conversation, Paige got up and said her good-byes. Emily walked out with her. They sat on the front porch gazing at the stars, something that Emily had come to learn was one of Paige's favorite things to do. Only, tonight, Paige wasn't staring at the stars. They were sitting next to each other with their arms linked, holding hands, and Emily kept feeling Paige's eyes on her. She glanced over and smiled at Paige a couple of times before she returned her eyes to the skies, but Paige's stare was unflinching. And creepy. "What?" Emily finally said, looking with an embarrassed grin into Paige's goofy grin.

"So, are you ready to talk about it?"

"About what?"

"Oh," Paige said, her grin becoming somehow wider. "You know," she sang, her tone full of insinuation.

Emily sighed. "Okay, Paige. You know that my Dad was just busting my butt about us moving in together. And, thanks for playing along." She leaned over and gave Paige a thank-you kiss on the cheek.

Paige turned to look at Emily, and shook her head, suddenly getting serious. "Uh uh. Nope. We're not going to do it, this time." Emily's look was mostly questioning, but a little bit afraid. "Look, Emily," Paige continued, "Neither one of us wants to be the first to talk about things. That's why I ended up wasting almost a year of my life in California. So, we're going to break that pattern. This time, somebody's going to have to say it. _I'm_ going to say it."

Emily looked into Paige's eyes with trust and anticipation. Paige took both of Emily's hands - and a deep breath. "Okay, Emily. I can only think of one thing that I like more than climbing into bed next to you in the evening, and that's waking up next to you in the morning. And I want that. Every day. I want to spend Saturday mornings destroying the kitchen when we start out making breakfast but end up having a food fight. I want to have to park in the driveway, because you didn't leave me enough room in the garage. I want to have screaming matches with you over the stupidest things. I want to get frustrated when you stomp up the stairs and slam the door. I want to be there to greet you with a hug and a kiss when you're wiped out from a long night at school. I want to find letters in the mailbox addressed to Emily Fields. I want your friends to ring the doorbell and say, 'Is Emily home?' I want…"

Emily couldn't take any more. She was about to burst. She pulled Paige in by the back of her neck and kissed her. She met with no resistance as her tongue meandered past Paige's parted lips. She had been so moved by Paige's speech that she forgot where she was. When she finally pulled back, she almost apologized for how forward she had been.

Paige wasn't finished. Once she regained her breath, she picked up on her speech. "And I don't want to wait till you graduate," she said, almost whining.

"So, let's do it!" Emily said, cheerfully. "I'm in!"

"Really?" Paige reacted as though she couldn't believe her good luck. She stood up and hugged Emily so close that Emily thought she was going to hear her spine crack. Paige stood, lifting Emily in the air, and gave her a spin.

Emily gave Paige a quick kiss, patting her shoulders at the neck and then running her hands down the side of Paige's arms. "Let me just let my parents know that I'm leaving."

"Right now?" Paige's tone didn't seem as enthusiastic.

"Oh…" Emily was a little embarrassed. "Unless you didn't mean…"

"No, it's not that, Em." Paige exhaled slowly. "I just want the first night that we're officially living together to be special. Like – wining and dining, the whole nine yards."

"Well, how about," Emily said, with a seductive look on her face as she threaded her fingers through Paige's hair, "I sleep over tonight, and we don't make it official till next week?" Emily saw Paige's lips start to stretch into a smile. She continued to make her case. "Please, Paige? – After that speech, I really want to spend tonight with you ."

Paige gave her a smile and a gentle kiss. "Of course, Emily. I want that, too."

Emily kissed her back. "That'll be good, because it'll give me a little time to spend with my Mom and Dad before I move in with you."

Paige winced. Emily scrunched her eyebrows and tilted her face. "I just… I don't like that term – moving in with me. I'd rather think that we're moving in together."

"Okay, but, Paige, it _is_ your house. I mean, we're not getting an apartment right away. Maybe not ever."

"Yeah, but, I just don't want us to think of it as _my_ place, as if I'm accommodating you, somehow."

Emily shrugged. They were just words, but she could tell that it was troubling Paige. "Well, let it be like that for now. Once I graduate, we'll have to decide whether we're going to move or…"

"Or refinance the place in both our names." Paige gave a satisfied smile.

"Ooh – I didn't think about that. I can help with the mortgage, Paige…"

"Don't be silly. Not until you graduate. If we decide to keep the house, we'll redo the paperwork, get ourselves a joint account, and we'll both pay for everything."

On the face of it, Emily liked the way that sounded. She liked that Paige talked about everything in the plural. Still, it didn't feel right. "But, I don't want to freeload, Paige!"

Paige pulled her close, her arms around her waist, and a lascivious look in her eye. "I'm sure that we can work out some kind of… arrangement," she said with a a raise of her eyebrows – and a pinch of Emily's butt.

Emily gasped out of shock and smacked Paige on the shoulder. "Why Paige McCullers," she said, pretending to be offended, and affecting a Southern accent, for some reason, "I don't know what kind of woman you think I am!"

"I think," Paige said, punctuating her words with kisses, "that you're a sexy," (kiss) "intelligent," (kiss) "beautiful," (kiss) "interesting," (kiss) "dynamic," (kiss) "and elegant woman."

Emily smiled into Paige's lips. "And I think you… Could stand to add a few more adjectives to your vocabulary," she said, giving Paige's lip a playful bite.

"Come on," Paige said in a low, seductive rasp as she turned Emily back towards the house and gave her back a gentle nudge, "Go say good-bye to your parents, and let's get you home."

Emily stopped in her tracks and looked back at Paige with a smile. _Home_. There was something very right in the way that the word sounded.

* * *

"Well, _that_ was a long good-bye," Wayne said, with a sly tone and a grin to match when Emily got back inside the house.

"Actually, this is the good-bye," Emily said softly. She knew that she was in for some more teasing from her dad. "I'm going over to Paige's tonight."

"Was it something I said?" he boomed with laughter, and Pam elbowed him in the ribs, shutting him down with a look that said, "Knock it off." For a petite woman, she could pack a punch with the right glare.

"That's good, Honey," Pam said enthusiastically. She walked over and gave Emily a hug.

Wayne followed her. "Gee, what do I say? 'Have a nice time? '"

"The less you say the better, Wayne," Pam chided. "Give Paige our love," she added, smiling only when she turned her attention to Emily.

"Thanks, Mom. I will." Emily wanted to tell her that Paige had asked her to move in with her, but she decided to wait on that news. Even though her father's teasing was good-natured, and Emily wasn't offended by it, she wanted to give her mother the news when it was just the two of them. She wanted someone to celebrate with her, not someone to make a joke out of it.

* * *

Emily ran up to her room and grabbed a couple of things quickly, aware that Paige was still outside waiting. Emily had decided that Paige would be better off waiting outside by herself than inside with her parents, especially with her dad in the mood that he was in. She dashed back down the stairs and gave her parents a kiss before she opened the door to find Paige sitting on the front steps, gazing at the night sky. She turned to Emily with a smile when she heard the door open, but she didn't stand, so Emily sat next to her, linking their arms and star-gazing with her, her head on Paige's shoulder. After a few silent moments, Paige sighed contentedly and stood up, wiping the dirt off the back of her jeans. Emily extended her hands, and Paige grabbed them, helping Emily to her feet. They held hands, their fingers interlaced, as they walked to Paige's house.

"Do you want to hear something pathetic?" Emily asked with a laugh. Her tone was confident, not shy. Enough time had passed, and she felt safe enough with Paige to share a laugh with her about it.

"I would love to," Paige responded.

"You were talking about the way we never said what we wanted before?" Paige nodded. "Well, the night before you left for California, after that good-bye party, I actually came over here to ask you to stay."

"Really?" Paige was intrigued.

"Yeah. I mean, I have no idea what I was going to say to try to convince you. I just figured that, as soon as I saw you, I don't know – it would all work out."

"No, yeah - I totally get what you mean."

"Anyway, so." Emily was smiling and shaking her head at her foolishness. "I made it all the way over here before I succeeded in convincing myself that it was a bad idea." Emily looked sideways at Paige and smiled. "But, even still, I waited on your porch. I kept thinking that you might come down. How stupid was that?"

Paige chuckled. "You should've waited another few minutes."

Emily's head recoiled. "What do you mean?"

"I thought that I heard someone on the porch, so I went down to look – brandishing an umbrella, of course, because it's Rosewood after dark, and weird shit goes down." Paige laughed, and Emily stroked her shoulder. "I _knew_ that I smelled you."

"You what?"

"You know – that – avocado, whatever, thing you've got going on," Paige tried to explain, waving her hands in the vicinity of Emily's face.

"Cucumber," Emily corrected.

"Whatever. I mean – not to minimize it; I love that smell. Anyway – the point is, I thought that it was just my mind playing tricks on me, you know? Like, wanting you so badly that I could smell it"

"Wow. That's weird."

"Yeah. And, the thing is, I hear noises all the time at night. The only reason that I got up to investigate was that I was hoping that you would be there. You know. Like in the movies."

"Maybe it was fate. Maybe the timing wasn't right, so fate threw in a monkey wrench."

"Or maybe fate wanted to teach us a lesson about saying what we're feeling."

A little farther along, Emily chuckled nervously as she admitted, "I came really close to asking you not to go, when I took you to the airport." Paige was taken aback by the statement. "I chickened out and asked you whether or not you had your tickets instead." Emily was staring at her shoes, embarrassed at the admission.

Paige remembered that question. She wondered whether she should have been more in-tune with Emily, so that she could have picked up on the fact that Emily wanted to ask her something else.

Emily stopped and stood in front of Paige, placing her hands on Paige's chest, to ground herself. "Paige," she started hesitantly, "not that it matters, but... If I had asked you, would you have stayed?" Paige let out a huff of air, and Emily knew what her answer was. "It doesn't matter, Paige," she said to her shoes.

Paige took hold of Emily's wrists, holding her hands in place against her chest. "Emily, if you had asked me that night on my porch, then, yeah, I probably would have. I _definitely_ would have. But, if you had asked me on the way to the airport?" Paige remembered how she had responded to Emily's question about the tickets - looking for them, hoping that she wouldn't find them, so that she would have an excuse to stay one more day. "You know what?" she said, when the realization hit her, "I probably would have changed my flight till the next day and thought it over. And, if I'd thought it over, I would've stayed."

Emily smiled. "Well, you're here now. That's what counts."

Paige gave her a kiss. "There's nowhere that I'd rather be."

Emily reached for Paige's hands and held them between their bodies. "I promise you that I will never keep my feelings from you. Good or bad, scary or silly. I'm going to tell you what's going on."

"I promise you, too."

"So, if you break my favorite coffee mug, or you want to try something different in bed, or you want to move back to California, or… if it's not working between us?"

Paige reached underneath Emily's dark, flowing hair and let her hand come to rest just behind Emily's ear. She slowly rubbed Emily's neck with her thumb as she leaned in for a kiss. "I will tell you everything," she assured her. "And, if it's not working, we'll talk it through. We'll get it working again."

Emily put her hands on Paige's hips, feeling the need for their bodies to be even closer. "Tell me that you love me," she whispered, leaning in so close that Paige's lips brushed hers when she replied.

"I love you," she whispered back.

Emily moved a hand up to the back of Paige's head and pulled her in for another kiss. "And I love you, Paige McCullers." She retook Paige's hand and they started walking again.

"I'll even tell you when you need some gum, or a breath mint," Paige said, and Emily laughed. "No, seriously," Paige told her. "You could use a breath mint."

* * *

 **A/N - Hat tip to thecatfromaliceinwonderland, whose review of yesterday's chapter gave me the title for today's. :)  
**

 **Much love to *all* of my reviewers! You have helped shape this story in so many ways. Thanks!**


	29. Pool Party

Paige and Emily kept pushing back the date of Emily's official move-in, although she had, essentially, been living with Paige since the night that they first discussed it. They were delaying the official date because they were trying to come up with just the right way to mark the occasion. Paige also had some practical concerns.

As Paige had told Emily, she didn't want it to feel as if Emily was moving into Paige's house. She wanted it to feel like _their_ house. They spent many nights in bed talking about ways that they could make the house feel more like their shared home.

Although Emily had no qualms about the "Paige's house" vs. "their house" question, she appreciated the fact that Paige even thought about it. And, she had to admit, she was excited by the prospect of designing spaces together with her girlfriend.

That task was made easier for Emily because of the fact that Paige didn't have much time or inclination for decorating. Several rooms in the house were largely untouched, or used only for storage. Paige's excuse was that it was just too much house for one person, and she didn't have time to get to everything.

"Let's face it," Paige pointed out during one of their late-night sessions dreaming about the house, "that closet isn't going to be big enough once you're fully moved in." Her arm was behind Emily's head, and when she gestured with her hands, her hold on Emily's neck began getting awkward and uncomfortable. "We might be able to blow out that wall and incorporate the little storage room on the other side into one huge mega-walk-in closet, you know?"

Emily laughed out loud at that idea. "Turn a whole room into a closet?" She felt Paige nod. "That sounds… crazy. And expensive!"

"Not too crazy. I mean – think about it. The closet is already starting to feel a bit cramped. And, you know, with the extra room, we could put a couple of dressers in there, and maybe some shoe racks…"

"And we're going to pay for this – how?"

"Don't you worry your pretty little head about it, Emily." Emily slammed Paige in the chest for that crack. "No, but seriously. It's a good investment, if we decide that we're going to sell the place. Who wouldn't want more closet space? And, also, when I first bought the place, Spencer told me that I can probably get Toby and some of his friends to help. I'm guessing that's still true"

"Yeah," Emily confirmed. "My Dad would probably help, too. He loves working with his hands."

"He does?" Emily nodded. "Good to know. And, seriously, we don't need to worry about the money. Let's just say that the firm was pretty eager to get me back here from California. Lucky for me, they didn't know how eager I was to get back!"

Emily laughed lightly. "Plus, I've been able to put my tip-money away, you know. Living at home."

"Well, that's good. But we could probably save that money and use it for something fun – like a trip, or something."

"Are you sure?"

"Sure, I'm sure. But we don't have to talk about money right now. We'll figure out how to pay for it. The important thing is that we need to reshape this room into our image," Paige asserted. "I would almost suggest that we just start fresh and make one of the unused rooms our master bedroom, but, you know. This one connects to the bathroom and to the pool…"

"Yep," Emily agreed. The mention of the pool got her thinking. "We should have a pool party before the weather gets too bad!" She was excited, sitting up a bit and planting her hand atop Paige's chest.

"We should," Paige smiled.

Then, inspiration hit. "We should have a pool party to celebrate that we're officially moving in together!"

Paige matched her enthusiasm, as evidenced by the wide smile on her face. "Emily – that's a great idea!"

"Do you think so?" Emily smiled. Without waiting for an answer, she started going through a mental inventory. "We're going to need to get some more pool chairs, and a couple of those umbrella tables. Oh – and some lighting." In her peripheral vision, she caught sight of Paige laughing. "You up for a day of shopping with me, McCullers?"

"I am!" Paige said confidently. "It couldn't be as bad as shopping with Hanna?"

"And what would you know about shopping with Hanna?" Emily asked, mock-accusingly, as she grabbed the collar of Paige's nightshirt.

"Only what Spencer warned me about!" Paige raised her hands to protest her innocence.

"And, did Spencer warn you about shopping with me?" Emily said seductively, moving her lips closer to Paige's.

"No. So I guess you're safe." Emily kissed her, smiling. "Shopping-wise, you're safe. I'm not sure that I can trust you alone in bed with me, though."

"Mmm... You're right to be worried," Emily said, straddling Paige's hips as she kept her grip on Paige's collar. "Because I am definitely not to be trusted in bed with you."

* * *

Paige and Emily kept the pool party pretty low-key. Rather than make up some kind of cute invitations, they just invited their friends and Emily's family in person. Instead of housewarming gifts, they asked their guests to bring something for the party: soft drinks, salads, paper goods. They had some wings and appetizers catered by The Brew.

The weather cooperated on the day of the party. It was a little on the cool side, but not so much as to keep people indoors. Emily enjoyed watching Paige showcase her skills as a hostess. She seemed to be able to engage anyone in conversation without having it seem forced or trite, and she was good at connecting her friends from work with Emily's friends from Rosewood.

And she was very attentive to Emily – always clinging to Emily's hand, or resting her hand on Emily's back. No matter how casual their interaction, whenever their paths crossed, Paige seemed to make physical contact. Even when they were physically separated – on opposite sides of the pool, in their separate conversation circles, whenever Emily looked over in Paige's direction, Paige was smiling back with a wink or a nod, making sure that they were connected and that Emily was all right.

* * *

Hanna was impatient to see the house, and Aria and Spencer tagged along for the tour. Hanna was mostly interested in peeking inside cabinets and opening every single drawer, making Emily glad that Paige hadn't come on the tour with them. Aria was very interested in the space and its potential – a little disappointed at how little Paige had done with the place, outside of the master bedroom, kitchen, and living room. She was a little amazed that Paige was giving Emily free rein to reshape the place however she wanted. Spencer was intrigued by the investment potential, listening attentively as Emily described their plans for redoing the bedroom. As if on cue, Paige showed up with Toby, to get his opinion on taking down the wall. Toby placed the palm of his right hand flat against the wall as he leaned into it, as if in a Zen-like attempt to become one with it. He thumped it with his knuckles in a few places, trying to get an idea where the studs were, before he said, with a confident smile, "I think that we could make it work!"

Everyone eventually drifted back out to the pool area, which was now lit up by tiki lights, as the night sky grew dark. Most of the guests were wearing some sort of swimming attire, under or in addition to their other clothes, but the pool was only being used as decoration. With the slight chill in the air, no one was in the mood to jump in, although hands and feet frequently skimmed the water around the pool's periphery. But everyone was having a delightful time, nonetheless.

At one point, Caleb lifted Hanna up and threatened to throw her into the water, but she shut him down with a sharp look and a poke of the finger. "Don't you dare, Caleb Rivers! This swimsuit cannot get wet!" Caleb had to laugh over a swimsuit that wasn't waterproof, but he knew better than to challenge Hanna on it.

Pru, Paige's friend from the firm, tried to get a pool going to see which of the two, Paige and Emily, was the fastest swimmer. They played along, eyeing each other aggressively and acting as if they were about to jump into the pool and settle it, but they both demurred, each claiming that she wouldn't be able to keep up with the other. The truth is, they had never seen each other swim competitively. Whenever they were in the pool together, they were there to relax and enjoy each other. It only got competitive when one of them got inspired by the other's movement, or the cut of her suit, or just the feel of the water as they swam together. And, when that happened, the competitiveness had nothing to do with swimming.

* * *

Hanna and Caleb were the last to leave the party. Before they did, Hanna pulled Emily aside to have a serious talk with her.

"Now, make sure that you and Paige christen this house properly." Emily looked at her smiling, but confused. " _Every room_ ," Hanna said, poking Emily in the chest with her index finger as she tilted her head and looked deep into Emily's eyes. Emily picked up on the innuendo and turned Hanna around, marching her back to Caleb, who practically had to drag her out of the house.

No sooner had the door closed behind their last two guests than Paige and Emily, who had been standing next to each other, with their arms around each other's backs, moved face to face, holding each other close and kissing purposefully, taking the time to enjoy the moment.

After a while, Paige pulled away and let her head collapse onto Emily's shoulder for a second before she picked it up again and gave Emily a quick kiss. "I'm going to go tidy up in the kitchen," she said, rubbing Emily's back. "I'll meet you in the bedroom in ten minutes."

Emily pulled her close and said, "Come with me! The kitchen will wait!"

Paige smiled and said, "I'm paranoid about bugs. Don't worry," she said, with a kiss. "It won't take me long."

"I'll come with you" Emily sighed, grabbing Paige's hand and heading in the direction of the kitchen until she was stopped by Paige's lack of movement.

"You've had a long day, Babe. Why don't you go lie down and find something for us to watch?"

"I don't mind," Emily shrugged. "I just want to be with you."

Paige smiled at the response and pulled Emily in for a kiss, with both hands on the side of Emily's face. Emily's hands moved up to Paige's back as she returned the kiss. "We'd better stop," she said, "or we'll never make it to the kitchen." She took Paige's hand again and they went off to clean.

It had been a great night. Emily couldn't resist rubbing shoulders with Paige, rubbing Paige's back, and stealing the occasional kiss. Everything just felt real, at that point. It wasn't just the fact that they had made it official. It was that they had thrown a party together, that both sets of their friends had gotten together, and that they were making plans about remodeling the house together. In one sense, it just seemed normal, but, for Emily, it was a totally new experience.

It was a new experience for Paige, too, and she couldn't stop smiling. She started humming to herself as she cleaned the kitchen, and, after a few minutes, she was narrating their progress in a really bad French accent.

"It's a little early for you to be so punchy, isn't it?" Emily asked, bumping her hip into Paige's.

Paige shrugged. "I don't think that it's punchy. I think that I'm just giddy."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah! I mean – we have our own place, we had our friends over for our first cool pool party…" Paige wrapped her arms around Emily's waist and continued, in a slow, sultry voice, "and I have got a smoking hot girlfriend whom I'm taking to bed tonight." With that, she began rubbing Emily's back with both hands as they engaged in a deep, passionate kiss.

"Mmm… So, exactly how OCD do we have to get on this kitchen before we can move onto the bedroom part?"

"You mean the part where we christen our bed as, officially, _our_ _bed_?" Paige asked. She took a look around. "I'd say that this is good enough. More than good enough!" In a sudden motion, she grabbed the sides of the loose skirt that Emily was using as a cover-up for her bikini bottoms, yanked it down to her ankles, and yelled, "I'll race you to the bedroom!"

Emily, stunned into paralysis by the surprise move, couldn't make up for Paige's head start in the short distance to the bedroom. When she did catch up to her, Paige was cowering in front of the bed, sporting an apologetic grin.

In an instant, Emily had tackled her. She didn't want revenge. She just wanted Paige. She wanted her there on the bed. She wanted her there all night. It had been too good a day to end without a great night.

Their lovemaking was different that night. There was an urgency about Emily, though she wasn't rushing. And she had taken to talking, in a way that they had never done before. In a deep, sultry voice, Emily described everything that she was feeling, everything that she was doing, and all that she wanted to do. She described the every touch, every taste, every scent that she as she experienced it, and all in a breathy moan that tickled Paige's ear – or whatever body part Emily's sensuous mouth happened to be stimulating at the time. The voice carried Paige to new heights. It was the last sound that she heard before she fell asleep, exhausted and content.

* * *

Emily felt eyes on her in the middle of the night and turned around with a smile. When she saw Paige, propped up on one elbow, staring down at her lovingly, she reached out and rubbed her shoulder.

"Hey," Paige said, smiling.

"Hey," Emily yawned.

"I'm sorry that I fell asleep on you." Paige twisted a curl of Emily's hair.

"Don't be," Emily said with a slight cockiness in her smirk. "It's not your fault that I completely and totally wore you out!"

"I want to make it up to you."

"Paige, don't be silly. Nobody's keeping score."

"No, Emily," Paige said seriously, "I _want_ to make it up to you."

"And just how are you planning to do that, Paige McCullers?" Emily said, smiling as she twisted a wisp of Paige's hair between her fingers?

"Remember what Hanna said?"

"Every room?" Emily asked, laughing in anticipation.

"Every room!"


	30. Home

"So, what are you making for dinner tonight?" Emily asked as she lay in bed, talking to her mother on the phone.

Paige was seated, legs crossed, about halfway down the bed, with the Arts section of the Sunday paper in her lap and the other sections spread out around her on the bed.

"I don't know what we're doing today," she heard Emily say. She looked over at her girlfriend, who was twisting a lock of her hair in the air with a look of total contentment on her face as she talked to her mother. Paige couldn't help smiling at the sight. "I'm sure that we'll come up with something," Emily continued. She noticed Paige grinning at her like a lovesick teenager, and turned her face toward her with an eyebrow raised as she blew her a kiss.

Paige set the newspaper aside and stretched out on her side next to Emily. The smile never left her face, but it became more of a mischievous grin as she began lightly caressing Emily's inner thighs and kissing her neck.

"Mom?" Emily said, maintaining her composure as she switched from playing with her own hair to smoothing her fingers through Paige's, "It looks as though someone's getting hungry." Paige looked up at her, mouthing the word, "Hungry?" through her smiling lips. She started kissing the soft, warm flesh that her hands had been massaging. "Yeah," Emily continued, slightly breathless, "I'm going to have to go feed her... Okay, I love you, too, Mom. I'll call you later."

No sooner had Emily ended the call than she let out the moan that she had been using all of her willpower to hold back.

"Mmm - feed me, Emily," Paige moaned back, moving up to nestle under Emily's arm and kiss her lips. Emily brushed her hand through Paige's hair a few times before she kissed Paige back.

"Let me just grab a quick shower," she asked. "I feel icky." Paige started to pout as Emily continued, "And then I'll feed you." She let her voice go deeper when she concluded, "You can have anything you want."

As Emily got up and took a couple of steps toward the bathroom, she heard Paige, in frustration, let her head plop down onto the pillow. Emily spun around with a sweet smile, extending her arms in front of her and tilting her head. "Come with me?"

There was some kissing and some groping in the shower, of course, but they held back. Paige wanted Emily in the bed - _their_ bed. That thought elated her. Sitting there, doing nothing with her girlfriend - reading the paper while Emily talked to her mother - had given Paige such a feeling of home. It was one of those things that she never knew that she had been missing, until she found herself in the middle of it.

Afterwards, her newspaper strewn in shreds all around the bed, Paige lay behind Emily, running her two middle fingers up and down the length of Emily's arms as she whispered into her ear, "Do you remember when we were talking at The Brew, and I told you that I wanted what you and Samara had?" Emily nodded. "Well, I had no idea that it would be as..." Paige struggled to find an adjective big enough to describe what she was feeling. "awesome," she finally said, "as this is."

Emily turned around, gently putting her fingers on Paige's lips before she kissed them. "Paige," she breathed, "what Samara and I had doesn't even begin to compare with this." She kissed Paige with purpose.

"I just want to do this forever, you know? Wake up on a lazy Sunday and not do anything special. Just be here with you."

"Paige, I love you so much right now," Emily whispered.

"You took the words," Paige said with a kiss, "right out of my mouth." she kissed Emily again and added, "I've never loved you as much as I do right this minute."

After relishing the moment for a little while longer, Emily sighed. Still gazing into Paige's eyes, she said, "I guess we're going to have to get up eventually."

"Don't make me!" Paige whined. She sat up, letting the sheet fall from her bare body, and twisted around to stretch her back. Emily reached out her forefinger and stroked it down Paige's back, feeling every vertebra. Paige turned to face her. "So, where's this breakfast I heard that you were going to make for me?"

"Why don't I take you out for breakfast?" Emily asked. "Then, maybe we could go look at some stuff for this big walk-in closet you promised me?"

"Yeah!" Paige was enthusiastic. "Let's do that! You're buying?"

"I'm buying!" Emily confirmed.

* * *

When it was time to pay, Emily pulled a card out of her wallet and placed it in the booklet with the bill. "Is that credit or debit?" Paige asked.

"Debit."

"Smart move, for a student," Paige smiled. Her expression turned more serious as she took Emily's hands and continued. "We should look into getting a credit card, though. Something with rewards, that we can use for hotels and airfare, when we take vacations."

"Paige..." Emily stopped mid-sentence.

Paige dipped her head. "Am I moving too fast?" she asked apologetically.

"No, not at all!" Emily replied quickly. "It's just - I don't know. It feels great. Absolutely great. I just haven't been in a relationship like this before." _Samara was never like this._ "It feels great - refreshing."

"I've never been in a relationship like this either, Em," Paige admitted. "And, too be honest, I don't really know what I'm doing. It just feels right, though. Does it feel right to you?"

"Absolutely," Emily said, leaning in closer to Paige. "It feels amazing."

* * *

"Have you thought about what you're going to be doing after graduation?" Paige asked as they made their way, hand in hand, through the aisles of yet another home furnishings store.

Emily let out a deep breath. "All the time," she half-laughed. "It's kind of intimidating!"

Paige leaned over and kissed Emily on the side of the head. "You've got plenty of time before you have to worry about that," she smiled. "I guess I was more wondering whether you had thought about where you might want to live."

Emily shrugged. "Why? Are you thinking of moving?"

"If you are," Paige said, mirroring Emily's shrug. "Shit!" she called out, covering her mouth when she realized how loud she had said it, and where they were. "We always do this." Paige was overcompensating for her outburst, practically whispering. "We never say what _we_ want, because we're worried it will clash with what the other one wants."

Emily huffed. "Well, in all honesty, I could live anywhere, but I kind of want to stay around Rosewood, because all of my friends and family are here."

"That's fair," Paige nodded.

"So? Your turn..." Emily prodded.

"I'm fine with staying in the area."

"But what do you _want_ , Paige?"

"I don't know what I want, Em. I mean, I never really grew up around family, and I never made any friends like the friends that I've made here."

Emily reached across with the hand that wasn't holding Paige's, resting it on Paige's chest. "See, that's so sad to me."

Paige shrugged with a dismissive smile. "It's not really sad."

"Not even in San Francisco?"

Paige laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. She steered Emily over to a bench that was on display and sat down with her, holding Emily's hand between both of her hands, in Emily's lap. "Yeah, it actually might be better if I _don't_ go back to San Francisco," she said meekly. Emily quirked an eyebrow, intrigued by and a little afraid about what Paige was about to tell her.

Paige chuckled. "I never mentioned this to you before, but, right before I came out here to surprise you?" Emily nodded impatiently. She didn't care about the set-up for the story. She just wanted to know why Paige couldn't go back. "Well, I got a call from this girl - a friend of a co-worker, and we talked for a while. Anyway, she wanted to meet for coffee, and I told her that I'd call when I got back from PA. I mean, you have to understand, Emily - nothing like that had ever happened to me before."

"And?"

Paige chuckled nervously again. "And, after I saw you again, I realized that it wouldn't be fair to start anything with her when I hadn't gotten over my feelings for you." Emily dipped her head and squeezed Paige's hand slightly. "So, when I got back, I called her up and told her that I was still carrying a torch for someone, so..." Paige looked over at Emily's eyes to try to read her emotions.

"I find that hard to believe," Emily said softly.

"I swear, Emily! I never went out with her after that! You can ask my friend, Jackie..."

"No," Emily interrupted. "I find it hard to believe that no one's ever made a move on you like that before."

Paige dipped her head bashfully.

"So, we can never go out to California, now?"

"Not to the Bay Area," Paige said, trying to make it into a joke.

Emily fake-slapped her cheek before she gave her a kiss. "God, I'm so glad that you don't try that with me anymore."

"Try what?"

"That avoidance thing. Remember? When things got tough, 'Well, I should probably go...'" Emily said in a deep, mocking voice, rolling her eyes at the memory.

"Oh, yeah. No way. Not since you unleashed Hanna on me."

"Unleashed Hanna?"

"Yeah. I haven't done it since that time when she sliced and diced me."

"Paige, what are you talking about?"

Paige could see the genuine confusion on Emily's face. "You really don't know?" Emily shook her head. "Okay, well, you know that night when you called me, the night after I drunk dialed you?" Emily nodded. "So, like an hour, maybe, after we hung up, Hanna called. At first, she was all sugar and spice and everything nice, but then, she was like, beast-mode. 'You'd better start being honest with yourself!'" Paige's voice was like the devil incarnate. "And I'm all..." Paige threw her hands up with a terrified expression on her face. "My instinct for self-preservation was kicking in, so I said, 'Well, I'd better go,' and Hanna yelled, 'Never say that to Emily again, as long as you both shall live!'" The demon-incarnate voice was back, and Emily was having trouble breathing because she was laughing so hard. She knew that it was an exaggeration, but probably not too much of an exaggeration.

"Oh, God, Paige! That is..." Emily tried to steady her breathing, "That is hysterical!"

"And I've never said it again," Paige said angelically, milking it a little. "She never told you?"

Emily fanned herself as her breath settled back to normal. "She never said a word. But, come to think of it, she didn't seem all that surprised when I told her that you were coming back to Rosewood!"

Once things were fully calmed down, Paige took a deep breath and slapped her hands down on her thighs. "Well, shall we get back to it?" she asked cheerfully.

Emily stood and offered Paige a hand up. "By all means!" she said.

Emily pulled Paige's arm around her waist so that she could be closer to her as they walked. "Is it weird for me to tell you that you smell really good right now?"

Paige looked into Emily's face with a smile. "I do?"

Emily turned her head, pressing her nose against Paige's collarbone and took an exaggerated whiff. "You do," she affirmed.

Paige laughed, kissing Emily on the forehead. "Well, no, it's not weird," she replied, with a melodramatic punch on the last word. "But we're not going to get any shopping done if you keep talking like that!"

* * *

Emily pulled Paige over to an aisle to look at picture frames. "You know, for someone who loves art so much, your house is shockingly short of wall decorations!"

It was true. The "art" on Paige's walls was mostly unframed prints, post cards, and ink jet printouts of pictures from social media.

"Yeah. I guess I always had that dream of moving into Philly, you know? You never know how much wall space you're going to have."

"You _had_ that dream?"

"I don't know, Em." Paige dipped her head. "I mean, don't freak out, but I'm just thinking - if we start a family, a house might not be a bad thing to have."

Emily cupped Paige's cheek and lifted her head up. "Why would I freak out about that?" she asked with a smile and a kiss.

Paige let out a breath in relief.

"Anyway, let's pick up some frames. Then, at least, we can start putting your pictures out around the house. Maybe print them on glossy paper? So it looks like an actual house - not a college dorm?"

"Okay, but..." Paige shook her head. Emily raised an eyebrow.

"But what?"

"Nothing. It's silly."

"Paige..."

"Well, I just thought that the first thing that we bought together should be something big, you know? So that we could point at it and say, 'That's the first thing that we bought as a couple.'"

Emily laughed to herself. "You're really into that, aren't you? The official move-in-together, the official first purchase..."

Paige tugged at Emily's hands, backtracking. "I told you that it was silly."

"No, it's not," Emily said genuinely. "It's sweet! I get it. It's like, the first chapter in our lives was when we met and became friends, the second chapter was when you went out to California, the third chapter was when you came home to me, and now we're starting this new chapter."

Paige was smiling. "Can we just back up a minute?"

"What do you mean?"

"Because I like the way that sounded - when I came home to you." Emily squeezed Paige's shoulder, looking away in embarrassment. She didn't mean for it to come out sounding like that. Paige turned Emily's body so that they were facing each other and gave her a gentle kiss. "Because I feel so incredibly lucky to be able to come home to you every night."

Emily returned the kiss with a hand on Paige's cheek. She knew that she needed to change the subject before things got too heated. "So," she said enthusiastically, "what should our official first purchase be?"

Paige tilted her head back and thought. "How about a recliner for the living room?"

"Okay. So, thrift shop, maybe? Or Craig's List?"

"You're right," Paige said. "That would take too long. We wouldn't be able to buy anything else till then." She scrunched up her lips in thought.

"A vase?" Emily proposed. "Or a lamp? Some kind of decoration?"

"Yeah - something like that."

"Which one?"

Paige grabbed Emily's hand and started walking again. "We'll know it when we see it!"

Paige sounded so serious that Emily couldn't help bursting into laughter. "Trust the Force," she said in an eerie voice, "Trust the Force!"

They wandered through the aisles, occasionally picking up or pointing out objects, mainly to make fun of them; sometimes, only half-seriously. There was no clear, stand-out item, though.

All of a sudden, Emily got a look in her eye and grabbed Paige's hand, practically dragging her behind her in her haste. Paige was smiling in anticipation of what it might be. Her anticipation was piqued when they made it to the electronics department. Perhaps, she thought, Emily wanted to get a TV for the bedroom, so that they wouldn't have to rely on their laptops. But, no. Emily led them straight past the TVs, not stopping until she reached the microwaves.

"This is perfect," she said, scanning all of the possibilities in the aisle. "We can finally get rid of that glorified popcorn-maker in your kitchen!"

 _"My_ kitchen?"

" _Our_ kitchen," Emily laughed. "Okay?"

"Perfect!" Paige beamed.

As they waited in line, Paige saw Emily waving, and followed Emily's gaze to a little boy, maybe seven years old, whose mother was preoccupied trying to get the credit-card machine to work. The little boy had been staring at the two with a blank expression, taking note of the way that they were interacting. Once Emily acknowledged him, he felt at liberty to speak.

"Do you two _live_ together?" he asked in a squeaky voice that sounded as though it could shatter glass. He put emphasis on the word, "live."

"Yes, we do," Emily said with a patient smile.

"Do you two _love_ each other?" he asked with the same inflection, this time hitting the word, "love."

"Yes, we do," Emily replied, shooting a concerned look Paige's way.

"Did you know that you could get married in America?" he asked, and Paige hid her face. The boy was so sincere that Paige didn't want him to see her laughing.

"We can?" Emily asked enthusiastically, as if this were shocking but good news to her.

"Mm hm!" he said enthusiastically, happy to be the bearer of good news. "I saw it on the internet."

The boy's mother, finally having figured out her payment, turned and grabbed his hand. "Let's go, Austin," she said. She gave Emily a half-smile and apologized. "He's just very outgoing," she explained.

"Oh, he's fine!" Emily said. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Austin!"

Austin turned back toward her and Paige and waved good-bye.

"Well, what do you know?" Emily said, once Austin was out of earshot. "Austin says that we can get married!"

"Well, it's a good thing we have this microwave, then!"


	31. Lunch in Philly

Emily circled the same four square-blocks several times before she found a parking spot. Fortunately she had allowed herself plenty of time to find parking when she set out from Rosewood that morning. Once she squeezed into the tight parking space, she took the big, rolling catering cooler out of the back seat and tugged it behind her. its plastic wheels rumbling against the sidewalk as she worked her way up the crowded blocks, deftly sidestepping the other pedestrians, and giving an occasional, "Excuse me" when the bulky cooler cut people off.

She passed a florist and decided that she had time to stop in and pick up a rose, to brighten Paige's tiny office.

When she got to Paige's building, the doorman barked out, "What floor?" Based on the time of the visit and the cooler, he wrote "Lunch delivery" in the log book without bothering to ask. Emily smiled to herself when she signed it.

She thanked doorman, who pointed her to the elevator. As she headed for it, she pulled out her phone. It was Wednesday, the day when she and Paige usually met at The Brew, but, because it was the last day of the month, Paige had to go in to work. She would have to take that Friday off instead.

Paige and Emily had arranged to facetime each other at 11:30 - their usual lunch time - so that they could still have lunch together. Paige didn't know that Emily had switched shifts, planning to surprise her. Emily had packed a lunch for Paige's that morning, putting a couple off paperback books into a canvas lunch bag to give it a realistic weight, and making Paige promise not to peek until they were on facetime together, so that Emily could see her reaction.

Emily stood in the hallway outside the firm's offices, wheeling the cooler back and forth, trying not to draw too much attention to herself as she waited for Paige.

Once her phone went off, she pushed open the door and started working her way toward Paige's cubicle. "Hi, Paige!" she said cheerfully.

"Hi, Em! The suspense - wait, where are you?" It took a second for Paige to recognize the walls of her office behind Emily's image on her screen. When she caught on, she stood up on her tiptoes, peering over the partitions until she saw Emily.

"Emily! What are you doing here?" Paige dropped her phone and picked up her girlfriend.

"It's Wednesday," Emily said, after they kissed. "Lunch at the Brew," she explained, pointing to the catering cooler.

"I can't believe that you're here!" Paige had both arms on Emily's shoulders and was looking at her as if she were looking at an archangel.

Emily, remembering the time that she had said those very same words to Paige, explained, "You're not the only one who can surprise her girlfriend with lunch on a Wednesday!"

Paige smiled as she gave Emily a kiss. "Although, technically, I wasn't your girlfriend at the time."

"Paige," Emily sighed, "it's always been you. Ever since that first Wednesday when we met."

Paige had lost interest in food. She stowed the cooler in her cubicle and led Emily around by the hand, introducing her to the co-workers whom she hadn't met at the pool party. Paige was one of the younger accountants, and one of the few women. Several of the older women greeted Emily with enthusiastic hugs, giving Paige a knowing smile. It reminded Emily of being about eight or nine, when her mother took her to work with her at the precinct. The smile on her mother's face was the same as the one that was on Paige's face. This time, Emily understood what was behind that smile: Pride. Pam had been showing her off to her co-workers, and she realized that Paige was doing the same thing.

Emily leaned in closer to Paige and rubbed her back, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "They certainly love you here," she whispered with a huge smile.

"They love _you_ ," Paige corrected. "Those women are your biggest fans," she explained, pointing to the older women. Emily's smile turned confused. "They've been following our story from the beginning – the tough, pre-California days, the tentative days when I got back, the first kiss – all of that stuff."

Emily shook her head with a smile. It felt nice to know that Paige talked about her to her co-workers.

Paige led Emily to an empty conference room and slid the sign on its door to "In Use." Once she closed the door, she couldn't stop kissing Emily. "I can't believe you're here!" she smiled. "This is the best part of my day."

Emily laughed. "Well, judging from how horrible the end of the month is, I would _hope_ that I'm the best part of today!"

Paige squeezed her hands. "You're the best part of every day.

Paige couldn't stop kissing her. Emily didn't mind, but she asked, "So, how much time do you get for lunch? Because maybe we should think about eating."

"Don't think _that_ thought hasn't crossed my mind," Paige said seductively. She sighed. "Okay - sit tight. I'll run and get the cooler."

Paige disappeared down the hall, and Emily ran her hand over the smooth, dark wood of the conference table. She sat down at the big chair – the one at the head of the table – and giggled to herself. It reminded her of the chair in her father's office on the base at Fort Hood. Just by sitting in the chair, you were letting everyone know who was in charge.

Emily really wanted to push the buttons on the control panel in front of her, but she was too afraid of what might happen if she pushed the wrong one.

Paige came back wheeling the cooler behind her and holding her lunch in the other hand. Seeing Emily in the big chair, she said "You look good in leather." Emily burst into laughter, until she saw the hunger in Paige's eyes. Then, she bit her lip. Paige just stared at her, paralyzed by an overwhelming love. After an eternity, she shook her head clear and, raising her lunch bag, asked, "Do I get to open this now?"

Emily gave a knowing smile. "Go ahead!" Paige's eyes went from eager to confused as she pulled out paperback copies of _The Taming of the Shrew_ and _The Canterville Ghost and Other Tales_. "I brought your favorite lunch from The Brew, Silly!" Emily explained, when Paige didn't catch on.

"Oh! Right!"

Emily walked over and unpacked the cooler, setting a cold chicken club, with ranch dressing, in front of Paige, along with a bottle of vitamin water. She had a sprout salad for herself, which she washed down with sweet tea.

After lunch, Emily packed up the cooler and stood behind Paige's chair, wrapping her arms around Paige's neck. Paige held onto Emily's wrist, rubbing her thumb over it as she leaned back to look Emily in the eye. Emily leaned down and gave her a kiss. "I should probably let you get back to work," she said sadly. "I'm going to get you in trouble with this long lunch."

"It doesn't matter," Paige assured her. "As long as I get the reports out before I leave."

"It's going to be a long night?" Emily asked, with a sympathetic frown.

"Yeah. You know how it goes."

Emily nodded. "Well, I'll let you get back to it."

"Here," Paige said, standing up and taking the handle of the cooler. "I'll walk you to your car."

"That's all right," Emily said. "I'm just going to look around at Barnes and Noble for a while. Can I come back in a couple of hours?"

"Emily, I won't be finished until way late tonight."

Emily shrugged. "I know. Is it okay if I hang around the office?"

"Of course, but…"

"You won't get in trouble?"

Paige laughed. "No – but I really can't leave till everything's done."

Emily smiled. "Well, I don't have anything to do tonight. Don't rush." She patted Paige on the shoulder.

Paige smiled, shaking her head, not believing, but definitely happy, that Emily wanted to stay.

"Will I be able to get back into the building?" Emily asked as they walked out of the room.

"Just a sec," Paige said, diverting them to her cubicle. She took her purse from her desk drawer and handed Emily her key card.

"Paige, I can't take this! What if you have to go out and come back?"

"Take it. Everyone knows me. I won't have any problems getting in, if I need to." Emily looked perplexed. "Besides, I'm going to be chained to my desk anyway, so."

Emily cupped Paige's cheek. "I wish that you didn't have to work so hard." Paige gave her a weak smile, and they both sighed. "I'd better let you get back to it," Emily said, giving Paige a kiss.

"Let me walk you to the elevator, at least," Paige asked, and Emily smiled.

Paige pulled the cooler down the hall and set it down, grabbing both of Emily's hands after she pushed the button for the elevator.

"Can you leave your car in the lot overnight?" Emily asked. Paige nodded. "So, you'll come home in my car, and I'll drop you off here tomorrow morning?"

Paige smiled. "I get lunch with you a ride home with you tonight and a ride back with you tomorrow?" She gave Emily a kiss. "Best girlfriend ever!"

When they heard the ding of the elevator, Paige handed Emily the cooler, keeping her hand on Emily's back until Emily walked through the open elevator doors.

After the doors closed, Paige stood there for about a second, smiling and shaking her head. Even when she got back to her desk, it took her a couple of minutes to stop replaying the afternoon's events in her head and get back into work-mode.

A long while later, as she stared intently at her screen, she felt hands on her shoulders and kiss on her head. She looked up at Emily with the biggest smile. "Hey you!"

"Hey," Emily smiled back. Then, she got a look of panic. She gasped, taking her hands off of Paige's shoulders and covering her own eyes. "I'm not supposed to see that, am I? Did I get you in trouble?"

Paige laughed. "It's fine, Emily. They're just profit-and-loss numbers – not people's social security numbers or anything."

"Yeah, but, what about insider trading? Do I have to sign a sworn statement?" Emily asked, peeking at Paige through the space between her fingers.

"Em, relax," Paige smiled. "Even if you knew what companies these numbers were for, I doubt that you could make sense of the numbers. _I_ can barely make sense of the numbers."

"Okay," Emily said, a hint of nervousness still evident in her tone. "So, guess where I went," she sang playfully.

"Barnes and Noble?"

"Yes…" Emily drew out the word. "And, afterwards, I walked over to Liberty Place."

Paige found herself smiling as she thought about her two favorite stores in Liberty Place: Auntie Anne's Pretzels, and Victoria's Secret. "You did?"

Emily nodded. "Yes. And, don't worry. I didn't forget about you." She reached into her bag and pulled out a bag of cinnamon pretzel nuggets. "Still warm," she pointed out.

Paige snatched the bag greedily out of Emily's hands. "You're too good to me."

"Yes, I am," Emily said seductively. "You'll find out just _how_ good later on." Paige almost whimpered. She still had a long night ahead of her.

"Okay, I'm just going to sit over there," Emily said, pointing with both index fingers to Paige's guest chair. "I wouldn't want to distract you. You might miss a decimal point and put some company out of business."

Paige backed her chair up and pulled Emily into her lap with a kiss. "Distract me!"

Emily squealed in surprise. "Paige! What if one of your co-workers walks in? You don't even have a door."

"Then, we'll go viral on YouTube?"

Emily smiled, giving Paige a quick kiss before she stood up, smoothing out the hem of her shirt. "You need to get back to work," she said, trying to sound stern. "Is it all right if I walk around?" she asked, pointing toward the outer office. Paige nodded and made a show of getting back to work.

* * *

Paige kept checking her watch. It was getting later and later, and she hadn't seen any sign of Emily. She checked her phone. She had texted Emily a couple of times, but Emily hadn't responded. She realized that Emily was trying to give her space so that she could work, but she couldn't help being concerned. She got up and stretched. She needed to take a walk to clear her head, anyway.

She took a look in a couple of cubicles. There were only a couple of people around, but nobody had seen Emily. Paige was going to try calling her, but she realized that she had left her phone in her cubicle, so she ducked into the conference room to use the speakerphone in there. And that's where she found Emily, in the big oversized chair at the head of the table with her phone at her side. She was sleeping with her head resting on her arms on top of the wooden table. It was priceless. Paige picked up Emily's phone and took a picture which she sent to herself, Emily's three best friends, and Pam. She went back to her office and returned with her jacket, which she draped over Emily's shoulders. She kissed the top of Emily's head and headed back to her desk.

* * *

 _A few minutes after midnight, Paige went back to the conference room to wake Emily and take her home. The big chair at the head of the table was spun around, with its back toward the door. "Emily?" Paige said quietly, and the chair began revolving, slowly, revealing Emily, now wearing Paige's jacket instead of her shirt, with a fiery red, lacy Victoria's Secret bra visible between the lapels._

 _Emily was dangling a pretzel bite just above her lips, with her long tongue curled around it as she licked off the cinnamon. She smiled seductively as she stood up and began walking slowly towards Paige. Paige looked up from Emily's stiletto heels to her long, bronzed legs and the matching panties, complete with garters and stockings. "Close the door," she told Paige, in a deep, husky voice._

 _As Paige turned her back to Emily, struggling to get the door closed, she felt Emily's hands on her shoulders from behind. "Paige?"_

" _I'm trying," Paige said desperately, but the door wouldn't close._

" _Paige?" Emily's voice was getting louder. Paige was getting more frustrated with the door, which still refused to close.  
_

"Paige? Wake up!"

Paige was startled awake, still sitting in front of her computer, with the keyboard beeping from the keys that were under her hand where it had landed when she fell asleep.

As in the dream, Emily was wearing Paige's jacket, with the sleeves pushed up above her elbows. Before Emily knew what was happening, Paige had her pressed up against the partition, kissing her deeply and holding her tight, rubbing her back.

"So, spreadsheets are an aphrodisiac?" Emily asked with a smirk, when they eventually came up for air.

"Emily – I'm sorry. I just had a really weird dream."

Emily licked her lips. "Well then, here's to weird dreams!"

"I'm almost finished," Paige said. "Five minutes." She sat down, turning her chair towards Emily and looking her up and down. "By the way, I love that jacket on you."

Emily smiled to herself, hugging the jacket's sleeves. "Thanks."

Paige turned around and got to work. "I'm really almost finished, Emily. I swear."

Emily planted herself in Paige's guest chair, yawning in spite of herself. "Take your time."

* * *

Emily leaned wearily into Paige as they made their way to Emily's car. Her arms were folded in front of her, and Paige's arm was wrapped around her waist. There were still a few people on the streets – besides the people who actually lived on the streets – and a couple of restaurants were still open. Paige realized that they hadn't stopped for dinner. "Do you want to grab something to eat first?"

Emily shook her head into Paige's shoulder. "Let's just get home," she yawned.

Paige was basically holding Emily up by the time they got to Emily's car. She opened the passenger-side door for Emily, and Emily protested, through a yawn, "I'll drive, Paige. You've been working all day. I got that nap in the conference room."

"I'm fine," Paige said. Before Emily could protest, she added, "You can just talk to me on the way home. Keep me awake."

Emily nodded. Paige trundled her into the car and fastened the seat belt around her, expecting her to be asleep by the time she made it to the driver's side and got herself buckled in. When she got there, though, she saw Emily, facing sideways in her seat, smiling at her. "So, do you want to tell me about that dream?"

Paige chuckled, glancing over at Emily and then back at the road. "It involved you in the conference room, some Victoria's Secret, and some Auntie Anne's."

"Really?" Emily asked, slightly confused.

Paige nodded. "Really. And you looked… really good in that jacket."

"Mmm, I wish that you'd said something," Emily said, rubbing Paige's thigh. "That sounds like the kind of dream that we could make come true!"


	32. Conference - Miami

**A/N - Apologies for not having posted yesterday. The log-in server for fanfiction was down. Here's yesterday's chapter. I hope to post today's chapter soon.**

 **Thanks for hanging in there! (assuming anyone's still out there...)**

* * *

The next morning, Paige drove Emily's car into Philadelphia while Emily slept with her head on Paige's shoulder. Paige couldn't help smiling when she looked over at her, from time to time. Emily was wearing her jacket again, and, for some reason, Paige felt good about that.

It her ended up being a short night. Emily got a text from her boss, asking her to cover the early shift on Thursday morning. Emily felt that she owed Talia for letting her out of her Wednesday shift, so she agreed. This meant that she and Paige had to leave Rosewood at an ungodly hour, so that Emily would get back in time. On the plus side, there was no traffic. They made it into Philadelphia in record time, ahead of schedule. Emily asked whether it would be okay for her to go take a quick nap in the conference room, and Paige assured her that it would be no problem. No one was in the office that early - especially not after the end of the month craziness.

Paige went to her desk and tried not to think about her sleeping girlfriend as she logged onto her computer. A moment or so after her PC came up, she got a text from Emily that simply said, "Help!"

Paige walked briskly over to the conference room, and, not seeing Emily there, called out, "Emily?" The big oversized chair at the head of the wooden table slowly wheeled around, revealing Emily, in Paige's jacket that was open over Victoria's Secret lingerie that Paige was seeing for the first time. "No way!" Paige said, almost swooning.

Emily said nothing but, "Close the door."

And, unlike her dream, the door closed and locked without a hitch.

Emily walked slowly towards Paige with an exaggerated swing of her hips as she let Paige's jacket fall off of her shoulders and onto the floor. "Holy shit, Em!"

Those were the last words that Paige was able to form for quite some time.

Paige wasn't used to seeing Emily's strength, so she was caught off guard when Emily wrapped her arms around her and, without breaking their kiss, lifted her onto the slick wooden surface of the table. Paige linked her ankles behind Paige's waist, grabbed Emily by the shoulder, and pulled her in tight, moaning into her mouth. Emily, mindful of the fact that Paige still had to work that day, carefully undid Paige's blouse rather than ripping it off. Paige would have appreciated that, had she been able to think straight.

While Emily's lips concentrated on Paige's face and neck, her hands worked on Paige's nipples through her bra, and she smiled in satisfaction as they hardened under the attention. Emily smirked at the goosebumps that she felt on Paige's arms as Paige trembled in anticipation. Emily tapped Paige's hips, and Paige stood quickly, and quickly slid out of her slacks and underwear. Emily bit her lip in anticipation as she paused to figure out her next move. In that moment, Paige lunged at her, making Emily yelp in surprise. In the next moment, the lingerie that Emily had spent so much time picking out - and that Paige had spent so much time dreaming about - was all but forgotten.

Paige's hands were getting rougher and rougher against Emily's ass. Emily spun around and pinned Paige down on the table. Paige's eyes widened in delight - all the confirmation that Emily needed for what she was about to do. She spread Paige's thighs and her wetness. Paige put her hand on top of Emily's, pushing her deeper, faster, and harder inside herself. "Yeah, Baby?" Emily asked. "You want it hard and fast?" Paige moaned helplessly. She clenched her fingers tight around Emily's arm. Her teeth were clenched and her toes curled just as tight. Her breathing was already unsteady when Emily moved in, sloppily kissing her lips and tongue. Emily's hands remained firm and steady between Paige's thighs. It felt as if Paige's entire body were clenching when she let out a final moan and surrendered in ecstasy.

Emily soothingly rubbed Paige's thighs, working her way up to Paige's hips and sides. "Are you okay?"

Paige nodded. "What time is it?"

Emily looked at the clock, suddenly shy with the realization that she was naked with her girlfriend in her girlfriend's office. "It's almost six," she said apologetically.

"You're going to be late for your shift," Paige said, worried.

"Paige," Emily said with her hands open wide.

Paige ducked her head, feeling foolish that it hadn't dawned on her what was going on. "Oh yeah."

Emily put her arms around Paige's neck and kissed. her. "This is what happens when you confess your dreams to me, Paige."

Paige laughed shyly. "I've got plenty more dreams, Em."

* * *

On Saturday morning, Emily wrapped her arm around Paige's shoulder and leaned down to give her a kiss as she set a mug of coffee on the table in front of her. She brewed herself a cup and sat down across the table from Paige. "So, Spring Break is coming up, you know."

"Spring Break!" Paige mocked. "You know, there is no Spring Break once you get into the real world!"

"I guess that depends where I end up working."

"Yes," Paige said, "I suppose you're right."

"So, Spring Break," Emily repeated, wanting to get the discussion going.

"What were you thinking?"

Emily sighed. "Miami?"

"Hmm." Paige sounded skeptical. "Spring Break's not the best time to go to Miami, trust me. The beaches are going to be way too crowded. I don't think that we want to spend a week with a bunch of drunken, rowdy teenagers."

"Well, that's the good thing about me going to Hollis. Our Spring Break starts earlier than most schools', so it shouldn't be that crowded."

Paige shrugged nonchalantly. "I just think that we'd be better off going somewhere more out of the way for Spring Break, and hitting Miami in the off-season."

"Well, I checked airfares, and the airlines consider this the off-season."

"You checked airfares, did you?" Emily shrugged shyly.

Paige knew what this was about.

"I've just always had this dream of going to Miami for Spring Break."

"Always had that dream, huh?" Emily nodded, quickly sipping from her coffee mug to hide for face. Paige rolled her eyes. "And the fact that my parents just happen to live right outside Miami has nothing to do with that dream?"

Emily let out a huff of frustration. "Paige, I'm going to have to meet your parents sooner or later."

"I know_" Paige whined, drawing out the word.

Emily put down her coffee and looked into Paige's eyes, trying her best not to glare. She took hold of the top of Paige's hand. "Paige," she said seriously, "where do you see this relationship going?"

"Are you kidding, Em? You know that I see us together..." Paige stumbled over her words. "You know... ma- I see us married."

"And don't you think that your parents are going to want to be around for that?" Paige exhaled deeply, long and exaggerated. "To be honest, Paige, the way it is now, it kind of feels as if you're hiding me away from them."

"Emily, I'm not hiding _you_ from _them_." Emily picked up on Paige's patronizing tone. "Believe me, I'm _sparing_ you from meeting them."

"They're your _family,_ Paige. They're pretty much the only family that you have. And if we're…" Emily was trying her best to stay calm and rational, but she was fighting off tears.

Paige slid her chair next to Emily's and reached her arm around Emily's shoulders. "You're right," she said with a deep sigh. "You're right, Emily. It's just - I wouldn't even know where to begin with them, after all these years."

"I could call them," Emily said, looking sincerely into Paige's eyes. Paige almost doubled over in laughter. "What?"

"I'll call them," Paige said with a slight smile.

"I'm sorry, Paige. I don't mean to pressure you or guilt you into anything."

"No, Emily. You're right. I should've taken care of this... thing with them a long time ago." She lifted up Emily's chin and gave her a smile, to let her know that it was okay. "Someone's got to be the first. It might as well be me."

Emily nodded. "Thank you, Paige."

"Besides, I really want them to meet you."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Paige gave Emily a kiss. "And I'm glad that we talked about this. Because my parents do need to meet the most important person in my life. I'll call them," Paige said with a squeeze of Emily's shoulder. "I know that they'd love to meet you."

"So, I'll book the flights?"

Paige nodded.

"Should I get a hotel, or will they want us to stay with them?"

Paige almost spat out the coffee that she was drinking.

"So, hotel, then?"

"Baby steps, Em. Baby steps."

* * *

It was a little bit surreal to Paige, having her girlfriend's father drive them to the airport. She was half expecting to get a lecture about responsibility and choices, but, after all, they were both fully adults. Their wild, partying days were long behind them. And, it wasn't as if Spring Break was something that Emily did every year. As much as she was looking forward to getting away and having some fun in the sun with Paige, she was going for only one reason: to meet her girlfriend's parents, Nick and Mose McCullers.

Unlike Paige, Emily was nervous to the point of panic at the prospect of meeting Paige's parents. It was a totally different scenario. Paige got to know Emily's mom back before the two of them began dating, but Emily's first meeting with Paige's parents would be as the girlfriend. Another difference was that, although Emily had a great relationship with her parents, Paige's relationship with her parents was strained, to put it mildly. Their reunion was guaranteed to be awkward even without the wrinkle of introducing the girlfriend. Emily felt as if she were being sent off to the front lines of a battle.

And Paige's reticence when it came to her family wasn't helping.

"Should I call your mom 'Mose?' " Emily asked during the flight.

Paige shrugged. "I guess. That's what everyone calls her."

"Should I call her Ms. McCullers?"

"That sounds kind of clunky."

"I don't want to get on her bad side, Paige."

"I think 'Mose' would be fine. Do you want me to ask her?"

Emily mouthed the word "No" without actually saying it. Emily sighed. "I'll just play it by ear, I guess."

"It'll be fine, Emily. They really sounded happy to meet you."

"Once they got over the initial shock of hearing from their long lost daughter?"

"Yes, exactly," Paige laughed. "Actually, it wasn't that bad."

The phone call _had_ been rather awkward, with Nick wondering what Paige wanted from them, until she told him why she was calling. But Paige didn't want to burden Emily with that knowledge. Emily was already on edge.

Emily sighed, deciding to take the conversation in a different direction. "I've never heard the name 'Mose' before. Is it short for 'Moses?' "

"'Mosely,' " Paige corrected. "That was my Mom's name before she got married - Jennifer Mosely. They started calling her 'Mose' in middle school, and it stuck."

"'Mose,' " Emily said, testing out the name. "'Mose McCullers.' I should call you 'Mac.' "

"Yeah. You're not calling me that."

"Am I the first one of your girlfriends that they met?"

"I guess," Paige said with a shrug. "I mean, they 'met' the girls I ran around with in high school whenever I had them over at the house. But I didn't really 'date' till college, and there was no reason to take anyone home to meet them."

"Ugh. Okay." _God, Paige,_ Emily thought, _could you be any less helpful?_

* * *

Paige's parents pulled the car around when she texted them that they had picked up their luggage. They both got out of the car to greet their daughter and her girlfriend. Nick gave Paige a somewhat stiff embrace, and Mose gave her a much warmer one. Mose and Paige had their arms around each other's backs as Paige introduced them: "Mom, Dad, this is Emily."

Emily moved in somewhat nervously and gave Mose a hug. She leaned in to Nick, as well, but ended up exchanging an awkward handshake with him instead. "Hello, M..."

Mose picked up on her hesitation and jumped in, "Oh, just call me Mose," she said hospitably. "Everybody does. And he's Nick." Emily thought that she detected a slight cringe from Nick at that statement.

* * *

Paige saw the concerned look on Emily's face as they rode in the back seat of Nick's Audi. She nudged her with her elbow, her eyes asking whether or not she was okay. Emily tore her gaze away from Paige's parents, whom she had been observing with the intensity of an anthropologist, and pulled out her phone, pointing it at Paige. Paige pulled out her own phone, muting it, to make it less obvious that they were texting each other in the back seat.

 **Emily: are they fighting?**

Paige looked at her, confused. She started to text back, but she got another text from Emily first.

 **Emily: about us?**

From Emily's perspective, it was a fair question. Mose had been warm and welcoming, but Nick was stiff. And they weren't talking - just giving one-word answers when the other one spoke. She theorized that Mose told Nick to be on his best behavior for Emily's sake, and that Nick was stewing over it.

 **Paige: [confused emoji] no... why do you ask?**

 **Emily: they're not talking. & your dad is so distant. **

**Paige: really?**

Paige was so used to the way that her parents interacted that their behavior didn't even strike her as odd. Emily's look was asking, "Are you for real?"

Mose turned toward the back seat. "Are you girls hungry?"

"I could eat," Paige replied, knowing that Emily wouldn't.

Mose turned toward Nick. "Pizza?"

Nick shook his head. "Shake Shack," he said flatly. He looked at Paige in the rear-view mirror. "Remember?" it was the first smile that Emily had seen on his face. It was a half-smile, but she counted it.

"I remember," Paige said, looking down with a smile, as if there were some embarrassing story behind the choice.

"When she was in high school, Paige lived at the Shake Shack!" Mose told Emily. "Remember that, Paige? We were going to rent you a bed in there!"

"To be fair," Paige said, sounding as if she'd had to give this explanation a thousand times before, "I was a two-sport athlete, and I needed a lot of protein and carbs!"

"Still hitting the gym, Paige?"

"Yes, Dad," Paige sighed, feeling as if she were back in high school. "You trained me well."

"Still hitting the pool?"

"Do you want to know my times?" Paige teased, and Nick actually laughed. And right at that moment, Emily had an epiphany. She looked at the smile on Mose's face and recognized the love there. She couldn't help the thought that had crossed her mind: There might actually be someone out there for Samara; - someone who would be content with one-word answers and sporadic verbal and physical interaction.

"There's a lid for every pot," as her mother would say.

* * *

Paige and Emily were walking behind Nick and Mose as they headed from the car to the restaurant. They were holding hands and speaking in hushed tones.

"They're always like this?" Emily asked in a half-whisper.

"Pretty much," Paige shrugged, still not knowing what the fuss was about.

"How come you're not?" Emily had never seen Paige like that. Around her, around her friends, around strangers, Paige was always an outgoing and eager conversationalist. The only time that Emily saw her quiet was when she was with her parents.

And Emily couldn't help worry that, at some point in the future, Paige would get that way around her – the way that Nick was with Mose. Mose seemed to be okay with it, but Emily knew that she would feel awfully lonely.

"Maybe it skips a generation?" Paige speculated. She put her arm around Emily's shoulder. "My Dad will warm up. He just doesn't like transitions, you know? If we're driving to a restaurant, his focus is on getting to the restaurant," Paige said, pointing the fingers of her left hand in front of her, to represent her dad's focus. "Once he gets there, he can relax and talk."

"Oh, God. That would drive me crazy. You're not going to turn out like that, are you?"

"I promise," Paige said with a smile as she leaned in for a kiss. Emily gripped her bicep, running her hand up and down.

* * *

 **A/N - So, I know that the first part of this chapter doesn't really fit with the rest of it. That's because I wasn't planning to write the scene in the conference room until I read the reviews from yesterday's chapter. I wrote that part as a gift to my reviewers; - the least I can do, really, since you've been so overwhelmingly kind to me and to this story.  
**

 **So, we'll have to get to the rest of Spring Break in tomorrow's chapter...**

 **Thanks for reading - and thanks again to all of you beautiful reviewers! 3**


	33. Spring Break

**A/N - Here's the second post of the day... In case you missed it, Ch 32 went up earlier, since 's servers were down yesterday.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

* * *

Once they ordered and found a table at the Shake Shack, Mose sighed, letting her shoulders relax. Emily understood her relief, if sitting down to eat meant that Nick would come out of his cocoon.

"So, Emily, Paige tells me that you're a swimmer?" Nick off with. Paige rolled her eyes at the fact that swimming was all that her dad could find to talk about. With Nick, talk of swimming was never just casual or polite conversation.

Emily rebuked Paige with an elbow under the table. She appreciated the fact that Nick was making an effort to connect. It was hard, she realized, having a girlfriend sprung on him, when he hadn't talked to his daughter in years. "I swam competitively all through high school," Emily explained with a smile. "I still love the water. You can't keep me out of it! I'm so glad that we have a pool." Emily cringed for a second, glancing sideways over at Paige. Emily had gotten used to referring to the house as their house, and the pool as their pool, but she wasn't sure how much Paige's parents knew about their relationship, or that they were living together.

Before Paige could react one way or another, Emily heard Nick's voice saying, "There's nothing like the feeling, is there?" He had a wistful look in his eye. "You know, Paige, I've finally gotten back into swimming these last couple of years," he said.

Paige smiled. "My Dad is the one who really got me to love the water," she said. "It seems we were always in the pool, whenever the two of us were home."

Emily squeezed Paige's knee. It was obvious that Paige and her parents had a good relationship at some point. Emily wondered how it had gotten so bad. But she was enjoying seeing them share fond memories. "Did you swim?" Emily asked Mose.

Mose laughed. "Oh, no. Well, not like those two! I enjoy the water, but for recreation, not for competition."

"I know exactly what you mean!"

"Mom was a track star," Paige explained. Mose waved off the word "star."

"Oh, okay!" Emily said. She could tell that Mose had been an athlete of some sort.

"That's where Paige gets her endurance. Trust me, this one's a beast!" Nick said, his pride apparent. Emily wasn't sure whether he was gushing over his wife or his daughter, though. "Do you two train together?"

"Oh, God, no!" Emily laughed. "I made that mistake once," she said.

Mose grabbed Emily's hand. "I know how you feel, Emily. She's just like her father. That's why," she said, but stopped, looking down at her hands, a bit sad. Paige's mood had changed as well.

"Listen, Paige," Nick said, looking as if he were about to choke up. "I know that I did a lot of things wrong. I wish that I had told you back then how much I loved you - _love_ you. You, my daughter, not you the star athlete. I pushed you because... well, I truly thought that I was doing what was best for you, not because I wanted you to fulfill my dreams or…" Nick sighed, defeated.

Emily didn't know what to do. Things had really gotten uncomfortable. She squeezed Paige's hand, to let her know that she was on her side.

There was an awkward silence. Paige wished that the food would just get there, so that they would all have something to do. "We don't have to do this now, Dad," Paige said, finally breaking the silence. Mose shrank a bit in her seat, and Paige picked up on it. She let go of Emily's hand and reached for her father's. "Thanks, Dad. For saying that." She gave him a half smile. He squeezed her hand, and her smile became full.

"So, what do you two have planned for your week in Miami?" Mose asked, breaking the tension.

* * *

After dinner, they drove to Paige's parents' house, where Paige picked up Mose's car to use for the rest of the week. Paige and Emily were going to return the car, have dinner with Paige's parents, and stay over at their house the night before Nick and Mose took them back to the airport.

"Hmm," Emily teased as she buckled herself into Mose's Prius. "I guess the Eco-Friendly gene skips a generation, too!"

Paige scoffed. Emily didn't know whether it was from amusement or disgust. "Believe me, Eco-Friendly has nothing to do with the choice of a Prius."

"No?" Emily said, forcing a smile. She hadn't intended to give Paige ammunition for her family feud, after things seemed to be moving in the right direction between Paige and her parents.

"No," Paige said with a jaded smile. "A Prius sends the right message. That's what Nick McCullers looks for in a car - one that says the right things about its owner."

On the drive to the hotel, Paige kept her eyes on the road, and Emily kept her eyes on Paige. After opening her mouth and closing it again several times, she took a deep breath and asked, "Are you okay?"

Paige looked over with a fake smile. "Yeah," she said, exhaling audibly. Emily reached over and laid her hand on Paige's thigh. "It was good, Emily," Paige admitted. "I'm glad that my Father and I started talking about it. We've got a long way to go, but at least we've made a start." Emily took her hand back into her lap and began nervously playing with her fingers, looking down at them as she spoke. "It's none of my business, but…"

"It's absolutely your business, Em," Paige said, looking over at her. "We're in this together."

"Okay," Emily said, still looking in her lap.

Paige reached over and took Emily's hand, resting their hands in Emily's lap. "Thanks, Emily, for getting me to come down here."

* * *

When Emily opened the door to the hotel room, she gasped, hugged Paige, and ran around from room to room, skittering like a puppy that was seeing snow for the first time. She was wide-eyed and smiling, overwhelmed by everything from the bathroom to the sitting area, the kitchenette, and the bedroom. "Paige, this place is incredible!"

Paige was much more subdued as she lumbered through the door and set their luggage down. "I'm glad that I finally got to get some use out of my credit card points," she said, just before she threw open the curtains to the balcony to check out the view. "Emily!" she gasped.

It was dark out, and the moon was hanging low over the water. The lights of the city stretched out along the beach, and the sand took on an iridescent glow. Emily joined Paige, putting her arm around her back as she stood there, hypnotized by the view. "Whoa," Emily said. She turned towards Paige, and turned Paige's shoulders so that they were facing each other. "It's absolutely beautiful," she said softly, and she leaned in for a long, slow kiss. The moment overwhelmed her, and, as her lips continued to work against Paige's lips, her fingers went to work unbuttoning Paige's shirt. Paige felt it land on the floor, behind her bare heels. Emily tiptoed on top of Paige's feet, rubbing her back underneath the straps of her bra as her kisses went lower down Paige's neck and collar. Paige had her hands in Emily's back pockets and was pulling Emily tighter and tighter against her.

Emily jumped, wrapping her legs around Paige's waist, and Paige walked her over to the bed. Emily used her weight to pull them down on top of the bed, keeping her ankles locked behind Paige's back and pumping her pelvis against Paige's body. Paige rolled over onto her side, then onto her back, and Emily sat up with a smile as she looked down at Paige. Paige's smile grew wider than Emily's when Emily slowly, teasingly, pulled her shirt above her head. Emily shook her hair into place and was about to pull it into a pony tail, but the sight of her with her hands raised above her head and her back arched was too much for Paige. "Paige!" Emily yelped as Paige impatiently pulled her down on top of herself, her hands frantically trying to touch every part of Emily's body and to get Emily out of her bra at the same time.

Emily pressed Paige's shoulders down against the bed and gave her a look that told her to wait. She stood up and reached behind her back, removing her bra. Paige sat up on her elbows, biting her lip, as Emily unbuttoned her jeans, unzipped them, and let them fall to the ground. She winced as Emily placed her thumbs inside her panties and guided them down, painfully slowly. Emily was being seductive and slow, and it started a fire simmering deep within Paige.

Paige quickly threw her legs to the side of the bed and stood up, eager to get out of her clothes. Emily pushed her back down onto the bed, and, before Paige could recover, Emily was sitting on her face. Paige could taste how ready Emily was. She was only too happy to make Emily scream.

As Emily squirmed around Paige's double-jointed tongue, Paige's hands seemed to be everywhere – first, kneading Emily's ass, then caressing her back, sides, and breasts, before they finally interlaced with Emily's hands when Emily started to feel faint. At that point, Paige put her arms behind Emily's shoulders and sat up, forcing Emily down against the bed while Paige's tongue continued its tireless assault. Emily's hips were convulsing in a circular motion above the bed. Paige grabbed on to steady herself for the ride. Emily grabbed a fistful of Paige's hair, restraining herself from pulling it out by the roots in her unbridled passion. "Paige," she pleaded, almost too weakly to be heard. Paige did hear her, though, and she gave Emily what she needed, sending her crashing in spasms of ecstasy.

* * *

Paige woke up early the next morning alone in the bed, smelling coffee. She let her eyes adjust to the darkness and finally located Emily, leaning over the balcony in a backless, white slip. "Come back to bed, Em!" she whined.

"Paige! You've got to check out this view! It's absolutely beautiful!"

"I know it is, Emily! That's why I want you to bring it back here to bed with me!"

Emily turned around, rebuking Paige with her eyes for blatantly checking her out. "Come on, Paige! The sun is coming up over the water! Hurry up! You've got to see it"

Paige reluctantly crawled out of bed, dragging her naked body over to the balcony. "Paige!" Emily whispered sharply.

"Oh, nobody can see!" Paige said, exasperated. She hid behind Emily's body as an excuse to cuddle up against her.

"See what I mean?" Emily said, gesturing toward the water.

"Mm hmm," Paige said, nibbling at Paige's neck near the shoulder, trying to push the straps off of Emily's shoulders to get her slip out of the way.

"Ugh! You're insatiable!" Emily turned around with a smile, making the mistake of looking at Paige's bare body when she did. "So, what are we going to do today?" she asked, a little breathless, letting her fingers dance over Paige's shoulders.

"Can we just take a day to recover from traveling? Just stay in bed all day and relax?"

Emily glared at Paige. "We both know why you want to stay in bed all day, Paige, and it has nothing to do with relaxing!"

"Fine! Let's go get dressed, get some breakfast, and hit the beach!"

* * *

Paige and Emily enjoyed the next few days hanging out on the beach in the morning, hitting the shops in the afternoon to get out of the heat, and dancing or bar-hopping in the evenings.

And Paige did get her day in bed – just relaxing, no fooling around – before they left. It felt good not to have to worry about any work, exams, or responsibilities. They lay next to each other, with Paige's head under Emily's arm, and talked about life, the future, their families, and whatever else came to mind.

They were jolted from this peaceful repose by a loud banging on the door. "HOUSEKEEPING!" a shrill voice called out.

"Did you put the thing on the door?" Emily whispered urgently, as if whispering would make Ms. Housekeeping give up and go away.

"Yeah," Paige nodded, but she slid out of the bed and into a pair of boxers that were on the floor at the side of the bed. She walked over to the door, waving off Emily who kept calling her name with more and more urgency, trying to get her to stop. Paige opened the door just enough to poke her head out. "Good morning," she said, quickly correcting herself "I mean, afternoon. Could we just get some clean towels, please?" Ms. Housekeeping was more than willing to accommodate her, handing over the towels with a knowing smile.

Not long after that, Paige fell asleep, but Emily's hunger kept her awake. When she heard Paige's breath become a low rumble, she got up and got a shower, planning to slip out and pick up some lunch for the two of them. She got dressed as silently as she could and crept to the door. Just as she turned the handle, she heard a creaky voice behind her. "Hey…"

"Hey, Rip Van Winkle!"

"Aren't you supposed to leave a note on the pillow before you sneak out?"

"Ha ha. I just thought I'd go get us something for lunch."

"Oh. You're good to me, Emily," Paige said before she turned over and went back to sleep.

* * *

A few greasy burgers, some fries, and a couple of "the best shakes on the beach" later, Paige and Emily decided to get one more afternoon of sun and sand in before they made the drive to Paige's parents' house.

"I wouldn't mind living by water," Emily said, her head resting on Paige's shoulder as they strolled slowly down the beach, turning up shells with their toes.

"I know. How much do you think a waterfront condo in Philly costs?"

Emily sighed. "A lot less than a waterfront condo on Miami Beach, but still way more than we can afford!"

"Yeah," Paige said resignedly. She pulled Emily in a little closer.

"Who needs the waterfront?" Emily smiled. "We've got a pool!"

"Yeah," Paige agreed. "We'll just have to book vacations near the water – Cape Cod, Jersey Shore, Coast of Maine…"

"Capri, Cannes, Jamaica…"

Paige pulled Emily for a kiss. "I like the way you think, Em!"

* * *

Too soon, they were driving Mose's Prius back the the McCullerses' house. Emily wasn't sure whether it was just her worry-fueled imagination, or whether Paige had actually gotten quiet; putting the up walls prior to seeing her parents. She touched Paige's thigh. "You okay?"

"Hmm?" Paige said, as she came out of her thoughts and back to the present. "Oh, yeah, Em," she smiled, putting her hand on top of the one that Emily had placed in her lap. "Sorry - I was just thinking about everything."

"Anything in particular?"

Paige smiled at her again. "You... this week, the beach, the hotel, my parents - how lucky I am." Paige looked over to Emily again before she looked back at the road. A moment later, she shrugged. "I'm a little apprehensive about how tonight's going to go, but I'm looking forward to it."

"Yeah." Emily agreed. That was exactly how she felt.

"You know how they say that time heals all wounds?" Emily nodded. "Well, I don't think that's true in this case. I think the wound got infected and pus-filled, since we left it untreated. But, now that we're actually tending to the wound..." Paige trailed off.

"Let the healing begin!" Emily said enthusiastically. "Ick," she added quietly, reacting to the mental image.

"Exactly," Paige said with a chuckle. There was silence before Paige remembered something. "My Mom texted me." she rolled her eyes amiably and smiled in Emily's direction. "She wanted to know what the sleeping arrangements were!"

"Really?" Emily wasn't quite sure what to make of this.

Paige shrugged. "She was just trying to avoid any awkwardness, you know. She didn't want to put us in the guest room together if we weren't sharing a bed back home."

"Hmm." That wasn't the answer that Emily was expecting.

"I mean, she knows that we live together, Em," Paige added, quickly. "I told them that we live together. I don't know what she thinks that means."

"Well, I guess she just didn't want to assume." Emily felt better, knowing that Paige had told her parents. Paige couldn't control what her parents thought. The important thing was that she wasn't trying to hide anything from them.

* * *

Paige and Emily got a warm welcome when they arrived. Obviously, they still had things to work through, but the bridge had been built. Paige and her parents would have to get used to walking across it.

After dinner, when the kitchen was cleaned, Nick, with uncharacteristic excitement, said, "Hey, Paige, guess what! I got finally got around to putting all the old videos onto DVD!"

"Oh, great," Paige said sarcastically. "You never know when you'll need to go over my stroke turns from back in middle school!"

"No, no! Not those videos," Nick said, his excitement undimmed. He pulled out a disc with a homemade cover - a picture of Paige in a high chair where she had fallen asleep face-down in a bowl of spaghetti.

"Oh. Well, Emily and I have an early flight," Paige said a bit too loud, stretching out her arms in a fake yawn.

"Oh, no, Paige!" Emily insisted. "We're watching these!"

Paige and Emily settled into a recliner that was sized for one person. Emily's arms were wrapped around Paige's waist, and Paige's head was on Emily's shoulder, so that she could bury it in embarrassment when necessary. For the next couple of hours, about the only words that Paige heard out of her girlfriend were, "Aww!" "You were so cute!" and "How adorable!" Emily also pointed out, several times, how much Paige resembled the younger Mose of the videos.

Paige would have sulked herself into a funk at having to sit through all of the embarrassing videos, were it not for the effect that the videos were having on Emily. She kept holding Paige tighter and pressing kisses against her cheek and neck. Had it been just the two of them, she would have been a lot more aaggressive with her kissing.

Emily had resolutely decided not to fool around in her host's guest room that night, but after holding her girlfriend all night and watching her childhood cuteness - and seeing the way that she and her parents were reconnecting over the memories - she couldn't help herself. Her feelings were in overdrive. She needed Paige; she needed to feel one with Paige. It was tender and affectionate; a night of love that Emily would treasure in her heart for years to come.

* * *

The ride back to the airport with Paige's parents was much more comfortable than the ride from the airport at the beginning of the week had been. Mose and Emily chatted almost the entire time, with Nick and Paige throwing in a barb every now and then. Nick started about a half-dozen sentences by saying, "Hey, Paige, remember when," as he glanced at her in the rear-view mirror and smiled. The more Emily heard those words, the more her heart warmed. It was obvious that Paige and her father had been close in their younger years, and it was good to know that they were on the path back to that place.


	34. Decisions, Decisions

"Hey, Babe!" Emily said into the speakerphone in her car. "I'm just leaving work now. I'll be there in a couple of minutes."

"Okay. I just got out of the shower, so we're on track."

"Ooh – you just got out of the shower?" Emily asked suggestively. She laughed, and then turned more serious. "I hope that you saved some hot water for me!"

"From the sound of your voice, you need a _cold_ shower, Emily!"

Emily laughed. "I'll see you in a few, hot stuff."

Paige was looking forward to their evening. Emily's graduation was around the corner, and Emily wanted to have a pre-celebration with Paige, before the big affair with her family and friends. She told Paige that she had an announcement to make, but that it was a surprise. Paige figured out that Emily was going to tell her what job offer she had decided to take. She didn't mind that Emily was making a big production out of it. She'd take any excuse to get dressed up and go out with Emily.

Emily breezed into the house like a whirlwind. She gave Paige a quick kiss on her way to the shower, but Paige grabbed her arm to slow her down. "Can you help me with this?" she asked, holding out her tie towards Emily.

"Can I grab a shower first?"

"It'll just take a second. And I won't feel dressed till you do it. Please?" Paige dipped her head and gave Emily a pout.

"Fine, hand it over," Emily sighed, taking the tie out of Paige's hands. She shook her head as she turned up Paige's collar and slid the tie behind it, biting her lip as she concentrated. "I _know_ that you know how to tie a tie, by the way."

"Yeah, but it always looks sloppy when I do it," Paige said leaning her head back and out of the way, speaking softly to keep the vibration in her neck at a minimum.

Emily rolled her eyes with a smile as she pushed Paige's hair away from her collar, pushed the collar down over the tie, and began fidgeting the tie into shape. They stood impossibly close to each other, with Paige staring at Emily with the look of a hungry lion scoping out a flock of gazelles a few hours past lunchtime.

Paige loved seeing Emily like this, intently focused and deep in concentration. Her stare was giving Emily goosebumps - not unlike the ones that Emily's fingers were raising on Paige's neck every time they brushed against the exposed flesh there.

"Don't think that I don't know what this is about, Paige," Emily said with a smirk.

"Emily, anybody with half a brain would know what this is about," Paige said with a grin. As Emily leaned her head in to see where the knot was going, Paige took a deep whiff. That's when Emily realized why Paige had insisted on having her tie tied before Emily took a shower.

Emily rolled her eyes. "Oh, God, Paige. You're so transparent!" Emily slapped her hands against her thighs, leaving the half-tied tie dangling for a second. "And what are you going to do when I don't work at The Brew anymore?" she asked with a smile as she went back to work.

"I don't know," Paige said, thinking it over. "Someone's got to make a coffee-scented body wash, or shampoo. If not, I could be the first. We'd be millionaires!" Emily shook her head and maintained her focus on straightening Paige's tie. "Besides," Paige continued, "I love all of your smells... your, uh I scents. I mean - um, you know what I mean!"

Emily smiled at the fact that she could still get Paige flustered. She finished tying the tie and smoothed it down over Paige's shirt. "Okay," she said with a kiss. "One last sniff before I wash that caffeine right out of my hair!"

* * *

Their dinner reservations were in Philadelphia, and Paige mockingly complained the entire drive into the city about the fact that Emily was making her take this extra trip on her day off. But there was a purpose behind her teasing. She was wondering whether or not Emily had decided to take the job offer in Philadelphia, and she hoped that Emily might slip up and accidentally spill the beans.

Most of Emily's job hunting was in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. She had also applied for some jobs in New York, Baltimore, and California – places where Paige would have been able to transfer, or where her boss knew someone who could get her a job – but the fact of the matter was that Emily wanted to stay close to her family and friends in Rosewood.

Paige was secretly hoping that Emily would take the job in Philadelphia proper. They had fantasized about living in the city, but it wouldn't make much sense to pay city wage tax and city rent if Emily were going to have to commute to the suburbs. But, in the end, it was Emily's decision. She was the one who would have to put in the hours, after all. Paige would support whatever decision she reached.

"This would be easier if we actually lived in the city," Paige said, looking over to the passenger seat in another not at all subtle attempt to get a reaction out of Emily. Emily just smiled, giving nothing away.

* * *

After Emily handed her menu to the server, she took her phone out of her bag and laid it on the table. Paige hummed in surprise. This was an unusual thing for Emily to do. Neither one of them liked the disruption that phones caused during their their special times together.

"I just want to have it ready," Emily explained. "You know. In case you fall asleep in your spaghetti again."

Paige shook her head, but she couldn't help smiling as she did. "Am I ever going to hear the end of that?"

"You were so adorable," Emily said, pinching Paige's cheeks as if she were still a baby - and using a voice that she would use with a baby. "I owe Nick big time for letting me share that experience."

Paige sat up, getting serious. "You know the thing about those videos, Em." Emily's eyes showed concern, as she worried that Paige was going to let her resentment towards her parents make her upset that they had let Emily see the videos. She took Paige's hands, in hopes of calming her. She could tell that Paige was about to get emotional.

"My Dad made those videos before he knew that we were coming. Before I called him. Back when we weren't talking." Paige's voice was breaking a little.

"He missed you, Paige," Emily said softly, picking up on the significance of what Paige was saying.

"Yeah," Paige choked out. "He missed me." She was smiling, even as she wiped her eyes.

"You missed him, too."

Paige nodded, knowing that, if she tried to speak, she wouldn't be able to hold back the tears. Emily gave her a moment to appreciate the meaning of what she had come to realize before she said, "Well, just wait till Pam and Wayne drag out all of _m_ _y_ baby videos!" She added, with a wink, "I know how much you hate horror movies!"

Paige gave Emily's hand a squeeze, grateful to Emily for shifting the focus away from her.

* * *

Dinner was progressing pleasantly enough until Emily noticed that Paige kept looking over into the corner of the restaurant behind Emily's chair. She turned her head to see what had stolen Paige's attention and looked back at her, with an eyebrow raised.

"Okay," Paige said, "You know my friend Jackie, from California?"

"Yeah. Jackie," Emily deadpanned. "The one who hates me."

"She never hated you," Paige said flatly. "She always just wanted me to be happy, and she thought – _I_ thought – that I didn't have a chance with you. But, believe me, she's totally Team Paily now."

"Team what?"

"You know, P – A – I plus L – Y ?" Paige asked, pointing to herself and to Emily as she said the letters.

"So, you get three letters and I get two? Why can't the 'I' be the 'I' in 'Emily?' "

"Okay, Ms. Fields, we're not going to get into a whole thing about who gets what letter!" Paige said, shaking her hands in front of her with a laugh. "You can have the 'I.' My point is, Jackie's glad that we're together, now."

"Jackie?" Paige nodded. "The one who was hardcore Team Daige?" Paige sighed. "The one who told you not to come back to Pennsylvania, ever?"

"Actually, it was 'McBurrowes,' not 'Daige.' " Emily rolled her eyes. "But that's not the point," Paige said wryly, regaining her focus. "My point is that she loves you, now. Actually, my real point is that the woman over there could be her twin."

"Oh, God, Paige! She came all the way out to Philadelphia to break us up!" Emily tried to keep a straight face, but she couldn't help laughing.

"Okay, obviously not her, but if you're curious about what she looks like..."

"Oh, yeah, I've got to know what this bitch looks like!" Paige grabbed her wrist, the gesture saying, _"Be nice!"_

Emily started to wheel around, but Paige squeezed her wrist to stop her. "You can take a look, but be _subtle_."

Emily winked and flashed Paige an exaggerated "Okay" sign. Then, she comically made a quarter turn, like a spy in a kids' cartoon. "Huh," she said, dismissively. "Not what I had expected."

"Yeah? I mean, that woman's hair is a little lighter and shorter, but otherwise - she could be her twin."

"That's interesting," Emily said with a straight face, "because I pictured her skin a little redder, with horns coming out of her head. And, you know, a pitchfork and a tail."

"Oh, will you stop?" Paige laughed, taking a swipe at Emily's elbow.

* * *

When dessert came, Emily let out a sigh and took Paige's hand. Paige sat up in her chair, knowing that the big announcement was about to come.

"Okay," Emily said. "I've come to a decision."

Paige smiled in anticipation. "Yes?"

Emily nodded. "I've decided to go with the offer from Arch Street Academy."

"Yes!" Paige almost shouted, raising her arm in triumph. "Oh, sorry," she said, once she realized how visibly and loud she had reacted. "Don't get me wrong. I'd be happy with whatever you chose, honestly, Em."

"You don't have to be sorry for being so happy for me, Paige," Emily laughed.

"Well, I'm sorry for being happy for myself… selfishly happy. I mean, I guess this means that we can start looking at apartments in Philly?"

Emily shrank back in her chair a little bit. She nodded weakly. "Yeah. We can. And, maybe I can teach some swim classes at the Y on weekends, to bring in some extra money. You know, to help pull my weight."

"Emily…"

"Paige…" Emily mimicked Paige's tone. "You know that Early Ed teachers don't make a lot of money. And Philadelphia is expensive."

"Emily, we have to stop thinking in terms of _your_ money and _my_ money, okay? We're in this together. And _we_ make enough to move to Philadelphia, especially if we rent out _our_ house in Rosewood, okay?"

Emily looked down at the table. "I just don't want you to think that I'm taking advantage." Paige shook her head dismissively. Emily sat up straight and glared at her. "You know, money is the single biggest reason that couples split up."

"I don't think that you're taking advantage," Paige said, wanting to be honest, but not wanting to downplay Emily's fears. "I know you better than that."

"Okay," Emily said weakly.

"And money problems are the same as any other problems," Paige asserted. "In the end, it comes down to communication."

Emily was still looking off to the side, avoiding Paige's eyes.

"Besides," Paige continued in a lighter tone of voice, "if we're going to live in the city, we should at least be able to enjoy it – not have to work six days a week."

"Well, _I'd_ be working six days a week. _You_ only have to work _four_ days a week, remember?" Emily teased, swiping her finger across the back of Paige's hand.

Paige smiled, because she had gotten Emily to smile again. "Well, you'll be getting your summers off, so…"

"So I win?"

"You win!" Paige leaned closer to Emily across the table, grabbing her hands. "Actually, I was thinking that we should try to budget our spending so that we can live off of one salary. We can put your paychecks away for retirement, vacations, charitable donations, emergencies - stuff like that."

Paige was getting all geeked out over talking about finance, and Emily smiled, enjoying the excitement in Paige's eyes. Suddenly Paige stopped, putting her index finger up to signal Emily to hold on for a second. She pricked up her ears, and squeezed Emily's hands, happy about what it was that she was hearing. Emily looked at her, puzzled. "It's Nat 'King' Cole," Paige said to Emily's still-confused face. "That's all that I was allowed to listen to when I was growing up." Paige was a little disappointed that Emily didn't remember that story - or the fact that the song that was playing in the background was the same one that Paige had sung into Emily's ear when they were out dancing at the Convention Center.

"I know, I know!" Emily confessed. "I'm just playing with you, Paige. How could I ever forget this song - or that night?" Paige smiled in relief. "But I think that you sang it a lot better!" Emily added with a kiss.

"Well, I don't know whether to put that down to your bad taste in music or to how much you love me!"

Emily smiled, squeezing Paige's hand. "Well, I have _excellent_ taste in music." Paige smiled and returned her kiss.

"Anyway," Emily smiled, "you were saying? Living off of one income?" She liked seeing Paige get excited, even if it was over something as boring as their budget.

Paige, caught up in the adoring look that Emily was giving her, needed a second to regroup. "So, yeah. If we can discipline ourselves to live on one income, and, let's say the economy goes bad and I'm out of work for a while, at least we'll have something stored away."

"God. You're such an accountant." As much as Emily enjoyed Paige's passion for her job, she couldn't resist teasing her. She broke into a fake-nerdy voice and pushed an imaginary pair of glasses back up on her nose as she continued, "Now, uh, what would be the tax ramifications of said arrangement?"

"Well, it could get messy, but don't worry," Paige assured her, totally serious. She was too happy about the fact that Emily had thought about the tax implications to pick up on the fact that Emily was only teasing her. "I talked it over with one of the guys at the firm who specializes in tax law. He gave me a few tips."

"I guess it would be easier if we were married," Emily said with a smile.

Paige laughed. "Yeah. And, as that kid in the supermarket reminded us, it's legal, now!"

Paige watched as Emily got out of her seat and stooped down. "Did you drop something?" she asked, puzzled. When she saw that Emily was on one knee, her eyes grew wide and she covered her mouth.

Emily reached for Paige's hand. "Paige, I know that we haven't known each other for very long in the grand scheme of things, and that we've dated for an even shorter amount of time. But I'm old enough to know what I want out of life, and I almost let that slip away from me once before, when I wasn't brave enough to say what was on my heart. So, I'm saying it now: Will you marry me?" Emily looked up to see Paige's reaction. "Paige, don't you dare cry, or you're going to make me cry!" she said, even as the tears started.

Paige pulled Emily to her feet and gave her a long, slow kiss. Through her closed eyes, she sensed a flash going off. She opened her eyes to see Aria, who had been surreptitiously taking pictures all night, now out in the open, getting a picture of the happy couple. And Aria wasn't the only one. Pam and Wayne were there, as were Hanna and Spencer. And Nick and Mose. And, from all the way out in California…

"Jackie!" Paige said, giving her a hug. "So, that _was_ you!"

Suddenly, it all made sense - the shutter-clicks that she kept thinking that she had been hearing all night, the woman who looked amazingly like Jackie, "Unforgettable" playing over the speakers. Her girlfriend - no; her _fiancée_ , she realized - hadn't missed a thing. Paige retrieved Emily from the tight hug that she was engulfed in with Hanna and Spencer. "How did you even do this?"

"Surprise!" Emily said, before Paige's lips crashed into hers again.


	35. Uncle

Paige felt herself getting lost in the kiss with her fiancée, still trying to catch up with everything that had gone on during the last few minutes of their dinner. At that moment, she knew that, whatever else happened in her life, everything was going to be all right. She was invincible.

That's when she felt Emily being pulled away from her. "All right, you lovebirds," Hannah said soberly. "That's enough of that." Tugging Emily by the arm, she announced, "Come on, Em. Until the two of you say, 'I do,' you're bunking with me!"

Emily shrugged her shoulders with her palms in the air, shooting Paige a helpless smile as she played along.

Paige took two quick steps and grabbed Emily's shoulder, pulling her back from Hanna's grasp. "All right, Hanna," she said, somewhere between exasperated and annoyed. "I may not know anything about wedding protocol, but I know one thing: There is no way Emily's sleeping anywhere but in our bed after tonight."

After everything that had happened over dinner, Paige felt like adding that Emily would be walking funny the next morning, but, out of respect for their parents, she held her tongue.

Wayne flashed Paige a thumbs up when he saw the way that she claimed her fiancée from Hanna. Pam smacked his chest at the gesture, but even she had to smile at the scene that was unfolding before them.

She walked slowly over to the couple and took both of Emily's hands in hers. Looking up at Paige, she asked, "May I borrow my daughter for a moment, Paige?"

Paige smiled. "Of course!"

Pam took Emily a few steps away and engulfed her in a long hug. When they pulled apart, Pam rubbed her daughter's arms. "I couldn't be happier for you, Emmy," she said. "You found someone you love, who loves you, and you complete each other. That's all that I could ever have wished for you."

"Mom!" Emily wiped her eyes. "Save some of that for the reception!"

Pam gave her daughter a kiss, smoothing the hair away from her face. "It took a long time to get here, but it was worth it, don't you think?"

Emily looked back at Paige, smiling as Paige showed off her ring to her parents. "It was worth it," Emily said. "If I had to go to Hell and back, it would've been worth it."

"All right, people," Aria said in an uncharacteristically loud voice. She moved her hands like a choir director to herd everyone into one of the restaurant's private rooms which she had reserved for the engagement party.

"So, McCullers," Spencer said, linking their arms as they headed into the room. "Congratulations."

"Thanks, Hastings." Paige smiled warmly. She still wasn't over the glow of everything.

"Did you have any idea?"

Paige opened her mouth to reply and closed it again. Then, she burst into laughter. "I had no clue, Spencer. I mean, I'm the easiest person to put one over on, but I didn't see this coming tonight at all."

"Well, good. You don't know how hard it was to keep it under wraps. Especially for some of us," she said, pointing her chin in Hanna's direction.

Paige looked over toward Hanna, scouring her memory for anything that Hanna may have said or done over the past few weeks that should have tipped her off about what was going on, but she couldn't think of anything. "And, just how long has this been brewing?"

Spencer sighed. "Since that night when you walked Emily home after happy hour at The Suds." Paige smiled. That night was only the second time that she had ever seen Emily. "I mean - this," Spencer continued, holding Paige's ring finger, "- Emily started putting this together after Spring Break, but..." Spencer trailed off.

"Oh, no," Paige said, putting her hand on Spencer's shoulder. "I get that. I mean, I never believed in love at first sight, but, from the day that I met Emily, I knew that I didn't want a life without her, in some capacity."

Spencer gave Paige a hug. "You guys are going to have a great life together."

Emily caught up with Paige later in the evening. Paige didn't see her coming before she felt her arm stretch out behind her back. Emily laid her head on Paige's shoulder for a second, with a quick yawn. "You okay?"

Paige nodded. "I'm great!"

Emily smiled weakly. "I know that you want to get home..."

"I do," Paige affirmed. "But this is good. It's good to be together with everyone like this." Emily rubbed Paige's stomach. "Thanks," Paige said with a kiss, "for putting this all together."

"You sure you're okay?" Emily asked with her head bowed.

Paige nodded. "I'm good. We don't need to rush. We've got all the time in the world."

Emily squeezed her shoulder. "Okay. Well, I'm going to go talk to some people," she said, pointing to a group the other side of the room, searching Paige's eyes for any sign of discomfort.

"I'll catch up with you," Paige smiled. She just wanted a minute or so to catch up with herself, first.

* * *

The next time Emily stopped by to check in on Paige, it was to confirm that she was ready to go. When they had said their good-byes, they gathered up the few gifts that some of their friends felt compelled to give them and headed to the car. While Paige loaded everything in the trunk, Emily got behind the wheel.

"Do you want me to drive?" Paige asked, leaning down through the window on the driver's side.

Emily shook her head. "You should get some rest. It's been a long day for you."

"For you, too," Paige pointed out.

Emily shrugged. "I'm too keyed up to sleep."

Paige chuckled. "Well, you did a great job, Emily. Perfect."

Having said that, Paige jogged around the front of the car to the passenger's seat. She was too keyed up to sleep, too, but she went along with Emily. Emily had obviously put a lot of thought and effort into the night, so Paige wanted to do it Emily's way. Besides, she liked watching Emily drive - the way she kept her left hand in her lap, idly twitching her fingers when they were caught in traffic; the way that she made turns with her whole body leaning in the direction that the steering wheel was going; the way she tapped the pedal with both feet when she hit the brake. The fact that Emily was wearing a dress, which she had to hike up a little bit when she got behind the wheel, was a bonus.

Before they made it to the highway, though, Paige was fast with her head on Emily's shoulder, snoring lightly. Emily laughed at the sight, stroking Paige's cheek. She loved feeling the weight of Paige's head on her.

* * *

"Hey," Paige heard. "We're here!"

Paige lifted her head off of Emily's shoulder, where it had been for the entire trip. Emily rubbed her shoulder a bit, to get the blood flowing again.

Paige couldn't figure out why it was so dark. She deduced that Emily hadn't pulled the car into the garage yet, so she reached over her to press the button on the garage door opener. After she pushed it a couple of times, hearing only the sound of Emily's laughter, she realized that "here" wasn't home. "Where the hell are we?" she rasped, stretching her arms to get the cobwebs out.

"We're at Spencer's beach house."

"My God - how long was I asleep?"

Emily laughed again. "You were so cute, Paige," she said, leaning in for a kiss. She tucked hair that was stuck to Paige's cheek back into place, letting her hand caress Paige's cheek again once she cleared the hair out of the way.

"You really did think of everything tonight, didn't you?"

Emily smiled, letting her tongue peek out through her teeth.

"Except I don't have any of my stuff with me!"

"Oh, Paige," Emily said in a mock-patronizing tone, "I thought of that, too!"

"Emily, I packed the gifts into the trunk. There was nothing in it!"

"That's because Spencer took our bags up here last night!"

Paige was about to say something about how awesome and sneaky Emily was, but she just laughed and kissed her instead. No need to waste her lips and her breath on things like talking.

As they walked hand in hand to the front door, Paige said, "So, the whole thing about getting married for tax benefit?"

Emily laughed. "I wasn't sure how I was going to steer the conversation over to the proposal, but you gave me the perfect opening."

"Well, you're the perfect girl- fiancée!"

Emily kissed Paige. "I like the way that sounds."

"Only one word sounds better:" Emily smiled, wanting to hear Paige say it. "Snugglebunny!"

Emily rolled her eyes as she unlocked the door. "Get inside, Fiancée!"

"Wifey?"

Emily pointed a finger in Paige's face. "You're never calling me that!"

"God, I can't wait to be married to you!"

* * *

"Wow!" Paige said. "This place is huge!" she had been to the beach house before, but it had never been just the two of them there. "What are we going to do with all these rooms?" she said suggestively, leering at Emily.

Emily shook her head and pointed at a bouquet of flowers on the counter. "Read the note," she said.

"What? The other girls are coming, too?"

"Read it," Emily repeated.

Paige walked over to the counter and took the note out of the vase. " 'Congratulations you two lovebirds! XOXO, Hanna.' " Paige looked at Emily, confused about what she was supposed to take from that message.

"Read the back," Emily prompted.

Paige turned the note over. " 'P.S. - Paige, please don't even think about "christening" every room. Other people have to stay here, too. Heart, HM.' Hanna!" Paige sighed in frustration.

"It's just the two of us tonight and Saturday morning. The rest of them are coming tomorrow night and Sunday." Emily bit the tip of her index finger, hoping that Paige wouldn't mind having to share her attention for the weekend.

Paige pulled her in for a kiss. "You got us this place to ourselves for the night?" She kissed her again. "I love you!"

"I love you, too, Paige," Emily said. She took a step back, unzipped her dress, and let it fall to the floor. With her arms spread out wide, she said, "Carpe Diem! Come and get me!"

Paige took an eyeful of her practically bare fiancée. She had never seen that lingerie before, except, perhaps, in a dream. "Emily," she said, trying to steady her breathing, "do you remember our first time, when we slowed things down and really took the time to connect?"

Emily nodded, smiling at what a romantic Paige was.

"Well, screw that!" Paige picked Emily up and hauled her into the master bedroom at record speed.

When Paige got to the bedroom, she turned around and plopped down on the bed. The result was rough landing for Emily, right into Paige's lap. Without missing a beat, she pushed Paige down against the bed and stood to her feet. Her legs were spread wide, and, with her elbows bent and her fists on her hips, she was striking a pose reminiscent of Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman in skimpy lingerie, that is. "Think you can handle this ride," she snarled. She didn't know where that came from, but it worked. Paige stood up and grabbed her roughly, a low rumble coming from Paige's throat as she kissed her hard, her hands roaming firmly, greedily all over Emily's back.

Emily wriggled out of Paige's grip and pushed her back onto the bed. "Is that all you've got?" she challenged, and she jumped on top of Paige, snatching her hands over her head. Paige grimaced as she fought for leverage. Emily could see the desire in her eyes. She knew that Paige could easily dominate her physically, but, for some reason, Paige had decided to play along.

Emily, still restraining Paige's hands, leaned down, shaking her breasts in Paige's face. "Say 'Uncle,' " she demanded. Paige gritted her teeth and shook her head. "No?" Emily teased. She started grinding her pelvis against Paige's stomach, moaning suggestively.

"Emily," Paige begged, but Emily shook her head.

She leaned in close, her hair falling onto Paige's shoulders as she whispered in her ear. "Say... 'Uncle' "

Paige wasn't one to give up easily. She bucked her hips, trying to get Emily to release her grip, but, instead, Emily just rode it out, bucking along with her as if she were riding a mechanical bull.

Paige was about to explode at the sight and feeling of Emily undulating on top of her. She really wished that she had taken her clothes off before this game began. She opened her mouth, but before she could say a word, Emily sang, "Uh uh! What's the magic word?"

"Uncle! Uncle!" Paige screamed. She couldn't stop screaming it.

Emily laughed diabolically. "Who's the boss?" she challenged.

"You are, you are!" Paige's breathing was shallow. Emily made it even harder for her to breathe as she leaned in, intentionally making contact with as much of her torso as possible, and gave Paige a long, searing kiss.

Now confident that she could let go of Paige's arms, she sat up and straight, running her finger over her bra a few times before she reached behind her, arching her back, and took the bra off. Paige was biting her lip so hard that she almost drew blood.

Paige's tie was dangling loosely around her collar. Emily took an end into each hand and pulled them up and down playfully. She felt Paige's legs constricting beneath her, so she decided to show her mercy, moving her hands to Paige's breasts. She moaned at their soft, suppleness as she fondled them. Paige closed her eyes, unable to control herself when she saw the look on Emily's face.

"Stand up," Emily said as a plea, rather than a command. Paige stood, and Emily undid her slacks. She knelt down, taking hold of Paige's ass as she kissed and nibbled Paige's thighs. Paige didn't realize that she had fisted her hands in Emily's hair while this was going on.

Emily stood up slowly and took hold of Paige's tie again. "Paige," she said softly, staring tenderly into Paige's eyes, "I'll do anything you want tonight."

Paige was about to combust. "Emily... please... I'm so close, I just need... I just need you."

Emily nodded once. She let Paige's shorts fall to the floor, eased her back onto the bed and asked, "Fast or slowly?"

"Fast," Paige choked out. "And hard," she added, her voice a weak whisper.

Emily nodded. And Paige got it. Fast and hard.

* * *

"It's nice to get away, isn't it?" Emily asked as she lay on top of Paige, her chin nestled into her fist atop Paige's chest. Paige was using one arm to holding Emily and stroking Emily's hips and thighs with the other. Emily was tracing the outline of Paige's face and shoulder with her finger. She felt Paige's stomach muscles ripple against her belly button when she traced over a certain spot on Paige's collar, so she came back to that spot a lot - until Paige grabbed the finger and held it up to her lips, kissing it.

"It's good to be near the water," Paige replied.

Emily tilted her head back. "Do you want to go for a swim?"

Paige shook her head. "We'll have plenty of time do that when the girls get here."

"Are you hungry? Do you want to find us something to eat?"

Paige shook her head. "We'll have plenty of time to do that when the girls get here."

"Well, Paige," Emily said, sitting up astride Paige, pretending to be exasperated that Paige had shot down her suggestions, "what _do_ you want to do?" Paige smirked and rolled Emily underneath her. " _Again_?" Emily teased. The look in Paige's eyes gave her all the answer she needed.

Paige slid next to Emily and slid her arm under Emily's back. "Let's just cuddle."

Emily snuggled in close and rubbed Paige's stomach. "May I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"How did I get so lucky?"

"Lucky?"

"To wind up with someone like you. Someone who genuinely cares for me, who likes just being with me, and who listens to me."

Paige tipped up Emily's head so that she could look her in the eye. "That's so sad, Em."

"You're sad that I ended up with you?"

"No, it's sad that you think it's lucky. Lucky for someone with such a big heart, a brilliant mind, and a genuine soul to get what she deserves."

Emily sighed. "I don't care what you say, Paige." She gave Paige a kiss. "I'm lucky."

"Not as lucky as I am," Paige replied softly.

"Not as lucky as you're about to be," Emily said with a seductive smile, stroking Paige's chin as she kissed her.

* * *

"All right, you lesbians! Get some clothes on, because the straights have arrived!"

Paige and Emily were enjoying a cup of coffee and some conversation when the Hanna Train pulled into the station, very loud and very shrill.

"I know you think that the party's over, but the party is just beginning. Woo hoo!" Hanna's voice was getting louder as she searched for the couple from room to room. When she caught up with them in the kitchen, she pulled up a chair next to Paige and linked their arms. "So, _Paigey_ , what's engaged sex like?" She wiped the smile off her face and tried to look serious for the next question. "You got my note, right? Are there any rooms that you _didn't_ christen?"


	36. Home by the Sea

Once Hanna exploded into the beach house, Emily and Paige knew that their peaceful interlude at the shore was over. It was, as Paige told Emily, good preparation for being parents: They would have to learn enjoy their moments of solitude, because those moments wouldn't last long before someone loud, demanding, and inappropriate clamored for their attention.

They were able to take it in stride, though. As much as they had enjoyed having their time to celebrate this next step by themselves, they were looking forward to the time of celebrating it with their friends. Hanna brought Caleb, Aria, and Jackie with her. Spencer and Toby were headed up later in the evening.

Paige took Jackie for a tour of the house and the grounds. Afterwards, they took a long walk on the beach and took some time to catch up.

"I really want to know how Emily pulled this off, getting you out here."

"She didn't tell you?"

"Well, to be perfectly honest," Paige said with a sly grin, "we haven't done a lot of talking in our alone-times since she proposed."

Jackie laughed, reaching out to touch Paige's shoulder. "So, from the beginning?"

"From the beginning."

"Okay." Jackie sighed as she thought it over, wanting to get all the details right. "Well, about… I don't know, six weeks ago? – I got e-mail from your boss. He said that Emily was trying to get in touch with me, because she was going to ask her to marry you. So I thought, you know, she had gotten mixed up, she thought that we had dated when you were out in San Francisco, and she just wanted me to hear the news first, in case I was still carrying a torch for you."

"Wow. That must've been an awkward conversation."

"Actually, it wasn't. When I called her, she just said that she knew that you and I were good friends when you lived out here, and I was about to say – 'Don't worry; that's all that's we were.' But, she said that she was planning to ask you to marry her, blah blah blah, she thought that it would mean a lot to you if I could be there."

"So, what did you say?"

"Well, I was just amazed that she would invite me – not to the wedding, but to the engagement, you know? I didn't know what to say, and I guess she thought that I was trying to come up with an excuse not to come, so she said that I could just send a greeting – a note or a video or something - instead. But she said, 'Think about it, though. I know that it would mean a lot to Paige.' And I said – well, of course, I'll be there."

Paige gave her a side-hug. "I'm really glad that you came."

"Thank Emily," Jackie said. "You've got a great one, there, Paige. The fact that she would think to invite your friend from California..."

"She must have picked up on how good a friend you were to me when I was out there. I didn't realize it till Emily and I talked about you when I saw you in the restaurant, but I guess I must've mentioned you a lot to her. You were there for me at a really tough, confusing time, and she must've picked up on that."

"I'm glad that I was able to be there for you. And I'm glad for the way that things worked out, with you and Emily."

Paige took a deep sigh. "Well," she said sheepishly, concerned about what she was going to ask. "How's your friend, Dana?"

"Dana is good, actually," Jackie said, nodding her head. "Even though it wasn't in the cards for the two of you, I think the fact that she took that step and called you – and asked you out – was a big confidence-booster for her. It showed her that she could do that, and it wouldn't blow up in her face, and, even if it didn't work out, it was worth taking a shot."

Paige scrunched her face. "I still feel guilty about that."

"Don't," Jackie said firmly. "You were honest with her. If you had strung her along – especially if you were chasing Emily behind her back, that would've shattered her. That's something that you would need to feel guilty about. But you didn't. You were honest with her, and she learned that, yes, sometimes, there's a bit of pain, and things don't work out, but life goes on."

Just as Paige was about to reply, she caught sight of something in her peripheral vision and heard Caleb yell, "Think fast, McCullers!" She turned her head to see a Frisbee whizzing toward her face. She threw her hands up on reflex and, somehow, managed to grab the disc in mid-flight. Page was relieved for the interruption. The conversation was getting way too serious, anyway. And, as much as Paige enjoyed walking the beach, there was someone she would rather be doing that with.

* * *

Later that evening, she and Emily took that same walk. Their pace was slow, their arms were around each other's waists, and they were enjoying the moment. The conversation was sporadic and wide-ranging. For the most part, they were content just to be by the water, and to be with each other.

"When were you thinking of getting married?"

"Well, I won't have any real vacation time, so it'll have to be when school is out."

"So, the summer?"

"Summer would work, but not this summer, of course."

It took Paige a second to catch on. "Right – not enough time to put it together. So, what does that leave us with? Christmas?"

Emily shot that down with a glare. "Now, Paige. You know that nothing competes with Christmas with the Fieldses." Paige put her hands up in surrender. There was enough going on at Emily's house in the lead-up to Christmas. She didn't want to add the stress and chaos of putting a wedding together into that mix. "Would you want to try to celebrate our anniversary every year with all that going on?" Emily's rubbed Paige's shoulder to let her know that she was kidding.

"It's too bad, though. We could do some interesting things with colors at Christmas." Emily nodded as they walked on. "Well, there's Spring Break? – No, forget it. Bad time for a honeymoon."

"Plus, I only get a week off."

Paige smiled, shaking her head. "Emily, if you wanted to get married the summer of next year, you could've just said so."

"But isn't it more fun to talk it through?" Emily said, stroking Paige's cheek.

They walked a little farther down the beach. Emily was feeling cold, so she folded her arms in front of her and leaned a little closer into Paige. "I've had a lot more time to think about this than you did, you know."

"Oh, really?" Emily nodded, without looking up at Paige. "You think that I haven't been thinking about this, too?" Emily missed a step, worried that she had jumped the gun and ruined something that Paige had planned. Paige picked up on Emily's slight stumble, and knew her well enough to figure out the reason behind it. "I hadn't gotten as far as rings or thinking about proposing – or even thinking about which one of us would propose," she reassured her. "And, by the way, Emily, have I mentioned that you nailed it?"

Emily smiled and kissed Paige's shoulder. "Only about a thousand times! But I never get tired of hearing it."

"When I say that I had been thinking about it, I meant… Well, do you know what it's like when you read a great book, and you just want more of that author? So, you find out what else she wrote, and you read that, but it's still not enough – you want more? You're just, like, waiting for the next book? That's what it was like. I mean, from the first time that I met you, I wanted more of you. And then, you became my best friend, and it was great, but I wanted more. And that really sucked, because I knew that I couldn't have more."

"And that's why you ended up in California."

"Yeah," Paige said with a sigh. "Those were rough days."

"For both of us," Emily pointed out. She remembered all too well the downward spiral that she went through when Paige left.

Paige nodded, pulling Emily a little bit closer. "So, anyway…"

"You came back to me," Emily cut in. She always liked saying those words.

"I came back to you," Paige agreed. "And it was great. We were getting to know each other, and sharing more and more of each other, but that wasn't enough. So we moved in together, and that was great but… I still wanted more. I still want more of you."

Emily smiled, looking up at Paige. They walked a few more paces down the beach till she took Paige's story to its next logical step. "So, wait. What happens when we get married, and you still want more of me?" she teased.

"Well, I guess," Paige said, moving in front of Emily and wrapping both arms behind her back, while Emily's arms stayed crossed in front of herself, "that I'm going to have to become one of those clingy, possessive wives who follows you everywhere and never gives you a moment of solitude!" As Paige said this, she began raining kisses on top of Emily's head, fighting off Emily's attempts to squirm away.

"Stop it! Stop it, McCullers!" Emily was laughing, and that gave her an idea. She wriggled an arm free and started tickling Paige, getting her to let her guard down just enough for Emily to wriggle free. She started running down the beach, deftly dodging Paige's attempts to recapture her, taunting her all the while. "You must've lost a step or two since your field hockey days! I guess that you and Spencer need to do some flexibility training!"

Paige managed to grab just enough of Emily's arm to stop her progress, and their momentum caused them to tumble to the ground. "The only person whom I'm going to work with on my flexibility is you, Emily Fields!" Soon, they were kissing on the beach, as the waves rolled in and out at their ankles.

"All right you two, break it up! This isn't a hotel room, it's a public beach!" Paige and Emily instinctively pulled away from each other at the sound of this loud, authoritative voice. They went from panicked to relieved to not amused in the split second that it took them to realize that it was Hanna messing with them. "God," she continued, "Sex on the beach. Could you two be any more cliché?"

* * *

The group's energy and dynamics shifted a second time when Spencer and Toby showed up later that evening. They brought supplies with them for the barbecue pit in the back, and, before long, they were all settled in along the shore enjoying the food, the scenery, and each other's company.

Paige and Emily were the last to head inside. Paige wanted to make the most of the starry night. She was lying on her back with her legs bent at the knees and her head in Emily's lap as she looked up at the sky. She knew that there would be few opportunities to see the stars once they moved to the city. "Maybe this is the solution for us, for having a place by the water," Paige proposed.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Maybe we could get a rental or a time-share by the shore – either here, in South Jersey, or down in Delaware. Maybe, eventually, we could buy a place."

"Sell your house in Rosewood?" Paige waved her finger at Emily, smiling. " _Our_ house. _The_ house. Whatever, Paige!" Emily laughed.

"Maybe we'd sell it. Maybe we could hold onto it, if the rental income makes sense."

Emily brushed her fingers through Paige's hair and leaned down to kiss her. "That's a beautiful dream."

"I'm serious," Paige said, sitting up. "Think about how great it would be to be able to do this all summer long."

"Paige," Emily said, putting her hands on Paige's shoulders. "A summer place? That's what _rich_ people do. That's what the Hastings family does!"

"We'll have to look at the numbers. And we might not be able to do it right away. But, I don't think that it would be too much of a stretch. I mean, think about it: You don't have to work in the summers, and it's wouldn't be that much longer a commute for me than coming from Rosewood." Paige looked into Emily's face for confirmation that she was starting to buy into the dream. "We could have our friends down on the weekends, and maybe have them stay for a week or two. And wouldn't it be great to raise our kids by the water?"

"Our kids, huh?" Paige nodded shyly, but she couldn't help smiling at the thought of raising a family with Emily. Emily threw her arms around Paige and hugged her tight. "My God, Paige! This is real! We're getting married, and we're going to have our own fucking family!"

"And we're getting a shore house!" Paige slipped that in, trying to build on Emily's enthusiasm.

Emily played along. "The best of both worlds! City living, and summers at the shore!" It was Paige's dream, and Emily had made a habit out of making Paige's dreams come true. "Go Team, Paily!" she thew in.

Emily yawned, collapsing onto Paige's shoulder. Paige enjoyed the feeling for a moment before she stood up, offering her hands to help Emily up, and they headed off to bed.

* * *

Sunday morning began with breakfast, all of them crowded around the big table in the dining room. Afterwards, they cleaned up from the weekend and headed back to Rosewood. Jackie rode with Paige and Emily, who saw her off at the airport before they headed for home.

"Are you sleepy?" Paige asked, when it was just the two of them in the car.

Emily smiled as she looked over. "Not really." She stroked Paige's shoulder.

"Do you want me to drive?"

Emily shook her head. "I'm good. I'm enjoying driving, actually." She bounced up and down in her seat comically, to show how much she was enjoying it.

"You won't get the chance to do it very often when we move to the city," Paige said with a yawn.

"You can sleep," Emily said when she saw the yawn. Her tone was pleasant, and she patted Paige's thigh.

"I'm good," Paige replied, intentionally reusing Emily's words from a moment over. She squeezed Emily's hand. "I'm just enjoying the company."

When they made it back to Rosewood and got all of the bags back in the house, Paige dropped them in the hallway and just held onto Emily for a long while. "It was a great weekend wasn't it, Emily? Thank you so much."

* * *

 **A/N - Guest (chapter 34): "** **Now, what's the meaning of her having the phone on the table? Is that supposed to mean something?"  
**

 **Sorry, I just remembered that I didn't answer this. Emily was just teasing Paige about the home video with the picture on the cover of Paige falling asleep in her spaghetti. She was pretending to get her phone ready in case Paige fell asleep in the food again. That's all! Sorry for confusing things! :)**


	37. Graduation

Emily and Paige had been together long enough for Emily pick up on subtle changes in her fiancée's behavior. After Emily proposed, she noticed that, whenever the two of them were together, Paige seemed to have a need to be on Emily's right side. The only exception was when Paige was driving.

Emily had never really paid attention to which side Paige took before, but it struck her as odd that, all of a sudden, it appeared to have become important to Paige.

One night, they were walking to Paige's car, and Paige dropped back for a second, letting Emily get a step ahead so that she could walk behind to get on the right side. Emily laughed to herself and started trying to figure it out. When Paige had positioned herself on Emily's right, she took Emily's hand, and Emily felt the cold metal of Paige's engagement ring between her fingers.

"Oh!" Emily said out loud, before she could catch herself.

"Huh?"

"It's the ring, right? You want me to hold the hand with your ring!"

"I guess," Paige admitted dismissively, shyly dipping her head. Paige had known that Emily would eventually pick up on this new behavioral quirk eventually. She was relieved that Emily had guessed, rather than asked, what the reason behind it was. She wasn't prepared for how she would answer, if Emily had asked her. Even though it was something significant to her, she knew that it was ultimately just a silly little thing. She would have felt foolish having to say it out loud.

"Aw, Paige!" Emily stepped in front of Paige, facing her, and stroked her cheek. "It's _sweet_!" She gave Paige a kiss and they started walking again, with Emily swinging their hands between them.

* * *

A few short weeks after the proposal, Paige and Emily geared up for their next celebration, as Emily's graduation neared. When the day came, Pam sat between her husband and her future daughter-in-law as the Master of Arts degree was conferred on her only daughter on the lawn outside the main academic building at Hollis. She was holding tight to both Wayne and Paige's hands, determined not to cry as she watched her "baby" achieve the milestone.

That afternoon, Emily celebrated with family and friends around their pool. This was Paige and Emily's second summer of entertaining around the pool, going back to the housewarming, and they had the routine down. Pam had been busy in the kitchen the night before, prepping her empanadas. She had Paige by her side, to teach her how it was done, since Emily had never been able to get it quite right. Emily was a little amazed. Pam shared her empanada recipe with no one. It gave Emily a good feeling to see her mother pass down this secret to Paige. It was a sign that Pam saw Paige as part of the family.

In addition to Emily's family, her friends, Paige's friends from work, and the few shared friends they had collected during their time together, the guest list included Emily's faculty adviser, Ezra Fitz. He and Emily had grown close during the time that he worked with her on her master's thesis, but that wasn't the only reason that he had been invited. He was looking to move out of his apartment into a larger space, and Emily mentioned that she and Paige were planning to rent out – and perhaps eventually sell – their house. Ezra was interested in checking it out.

It didn't take long for Aria to catch Ezra's eye. Over the course of the afternoon and evening, Emily nudged Paige with her elbow when she caught the two of them together. Whenever she did, she smiled and tilted her head in their direction. Although Paige rolled her eyes at Emily's constant nudging, she couldn't help smiling. She really admired the way that Emily's friends were always pulling for each other's relationships, and the way that they were concerned for each other's happiness, above what they themselves may have felt. The three of them had supported Emily's relationship with Samara, giving up on it only slightly sooner than Emily did when it became clear to them that it was untenable.

When she saw the way that Emily smiled at seeing Aria and Ezra, Paige couldn't help wonder whether or not the other girls had shared similar smiles in the early days of her relationship with Emily – or, even earlier. She thought back to the things that Hanna had done when Paige flew out to see Emily after the break-up: Getting Emily to the gym and the salon, and making sure that she took time off from work; arranging things so that the two of them ended up sitting on her couch together when they got together for pizza and movies. And she remembered catching Hanna peeking at them through the curtains when Paige walked Emily out to her car. Paige put her arm around Emily's waist and pulled her in from the side, kissing her temple. "You've really got great friends, Em."

Emily smiled and nodded, and said, "Huh?" once she realized that she didn't know where that statement had come from.

"Nothing. Nothing," Paige said, tightening her grip a little. "We're just really lucky, aren't we?"

"We really are," Emily agreed, squeezing Paige around the waist. She may not have known what they were talking about, but she definitely knew that they were lucky.

Pam walked up to them carrying a tray. "Emmy, didn't Paige do a fantastic job on these empanadas?"

Emily heaved out a sigh. "Yes, Mom," she said mechanically, before she laughed and took one. She wasn't hurt that she had been replaced as her mother's hope for passing down the family recipe. She was just amused at how proud her mother was of Paige.

"Well, if by 'fantastic job,' you're referring to the way that I set the temperature and the timer on the microwave, then, yes, you're right," Paige said. "I was pretty amazing."

Pam shook her head at the way that Paige downplayed her kitchen skills. Then, with a smile, she asked, "Have you two decided where you want to go on this graduation trip?"

Since Paige and Emily weren't going to get married for about a year, they decided to take a graduation trip instead of a honeymoon before Emily had to start working for a living. Not that the trip would replace their honeymoon. It was more like a practice-run. Emily had been pushing quite hard to finish up her degree, and she needed a break. Also, they wanted to take some time and celebrate their engagement.

"Well, we were thinking about going to France, but I don't think I could get my passport together in time."

"Also," Paige chimed in, "we thought that we could set aside some of Emily's graduation money and save it for some of the actual honeymoon itself."

"What can I say?" Emily patted Paige's stomach with the arm that wasn't wrapped around Paige's waist. "Marrying an accountant!"

"Anyway_" Paige drawled out, smiling Emily's teasing, "we decided that we'd like to explore Pennsylvania a bit."

"Gettysburg, the Civil War sites…"

"Maybe some Revolutionary War sites…"

"Basically a lot of driving and some charming little inns…"

"Doughnuts and diners…"

Pam couldn't help laughing as she put a hand on each girl's cheek. "Look at the two of you! You're such a cute couple! Already finishing each other's sentences!"

Paige and Emily turned to look at each other and then at Pam as if their necks were being controlled by the same lever. They laughed at the same time when the realization hit that they actually _were_ doing finishing each other's sentences, and, not only that, but that they had gone so far as to mirror each other's movements.

* * *

The trip itself turned out to be something of a defining point in Paige and Emily's relationship. They had the experience of seeing each other at their worst, and learning how they would get along with each other in those tough times.

At the end of a long day's trek into the Central Pennsylvania woods, covered in dirt, sweat, and a little blood, they discovered that the charming little bed and breakfast had lost their reservation and didn't have any vacancies. They were desperately in need of a shower, but, instead, they had to pile back in the car and head to the next city. It proved to be too far for them, late at night and both exhausted. They ended up pulling off into a rest stop and sleeping in the car for the night. It was the sort of experience that each of them knew they would laugh about when they told their kids and grandkids about it. That night, though, laughter was the furthest thing from either of their minds.

Still, the last thing that each heard the other say before she fell asleep was, "I love you."

* * *

"Paige! Paige!"

Paige woke, disoriented, with Emily tugging at her arm. "What's going on?" she said, still half-asleep, trying to get her bearings.

"Do you hear that?"

Paige stilled herself trying to listen. "Hear what?" she asked after a few moments of silence.

"That scratching! It's coming from right outside the car!"

Paige waited silently again. "I don't hear anything," she said. "It's probably just a wild animal. A raccoon, or something, looking for food."

"Or it's a homicidal maniac, scratching on the car the way that it happens in all those urban legends!"

"So, what do you want me to do? Do you want to drive somewhere?"

"I don't know, Paige!" When Paige didn't say anything, Emily answered again. "I want you to keep me safe!"

Paige sleepily patted Emily on the shoulder. "You're safe," she said, and rolled over to go back to sleep.

"Paige!"

"Huh?"

"Don't 'there, there' me! I'm not a little girl!"

"Ugh! Emily, I promise you that there's no homicidal maniac outside. Other than that, tell me what you want me to do to make you feel safe." Before Paige got those words out, she realized what she was doing. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Em. Come here." Emily gladly let herself be gathered into Paige's arms across the center console in the front seat. "I'm sorry about today. I really am. I should've had a back-up plan."

"Just hold me," Emily asked. She sighed and relaxed a little, finally beginning to feel safe. "It's not your fault," she said softly. "You couldn't have known that they'd lose our reservations."

* * *

As uncomfortable as their position was, Emily had almost fallen asleep when she tensed up, digging her fingers into Paige's shoulder. "Do you hear it? There it goes again." Paige pulled away. "Paige! Don't leave me!"

"I'm just going to go find out what's going on out there, Emily. I'll be right back."

"Paige!"

"It's safe, Em. I promise."

"You're not going out there!"

"You're not going to be able to sleep until we find out what's going on."

"I'm not going to be able to sleep if some deranged killer chops your head off!"

"Jeez, Em," Paige said as she reached for the door handle. "This is what happens when you watch all those horror…"

Before she finished the sentence, she pushed the door open, and they heard a shrill siren go off. Emily screamed and grabbed Paige, both of their heartrates having tripled in the split second that it took them to register that it was just the car's alarm that was going off. Emily gripped her chest and breathed heavily while Paige, laughing, contorted her body to try to find the pocket where her keys were, and then pushed buttons until she figured out how to silence the alarm.

"Well, whatever that was outside," she said with a laugh, "I bet the siren scared it off!"

* * *

When the sun came up, Paige adjusted her seat from a full-recline to an upright position and stretched out her back as best she could in the confined space. She got out of the car and walked around it, looking for scratch marks from the raccoon's claws or the homicidal maniac's sickle. Finding none, she was going to tap on the window to let Emily know that she was heading into the rest stop to pick up some coffee, but she caught herself in time. Waking Emily by tapping on the window could have only one result: Another round of screaming at the top of her lungs. She walked around to the driver's side and sat next to Emily, whispering her name and stroking her hand to wake her. Emily was startled, but she didn't freak out. "I'm going to get us some coffee, and then we can get back on the road," Paige said.

Emily nodded and laid her head back down before it hit her and she sprang up, reaching for Paige's arm. "Is it safe?"

Paige nodded. "I checked the car. Everything looks good." She kissed Emily's cheek. "I'll be right back."

When Paige got back to the car and opened the door, the smell that they had spent the night with hit her like a ton of bricks. "Holy shit – it reeks in here!" she said. She and Emily rolled down all the windows and took their coffees to a picnic table, sitting on the table with their feet on the bench, as they gave the car some time to air out. There on the table in the cool of the morning, sipping their coffee, they finally began to relax.

"So, what do you think, Paige?"

"About what?"

"You've seen me at my worst – dirty, sweaty, exhausted, stressed, and, not to mention, scared shitless."

"But not hungover…"

"Not hungover. Not this time." Emily laughed, and Paige did, too. Emily leaned closer to Paige and linked their arms. "Still think you want to get attached to me for the rest of your life?"

Paige whipped out her phone and snapped a quick picture, just before Emily got her hands up in front of her face and squealed, "Paige! I look gross! My hairs all frizzy and I don't have any make-up, and my pores…"

"See this?" Paige said calmly as she flipped the phone around to show Emily the image. "This is the face that I want to lie down in bed next to every night. And the face that I want to wake up next to every morning."

"Aw," Emily said, taking the phone from Paige's hand. "That's sweet… Deleting this!"

"Emily!" Paige grabbed for her phone, but it was too late. "Let me have a picture of you. Just for me. I won't post it."

"Paige!" Paige just pouted. "Why?"

"Because you love me?"

"Ugh. Fine. Take my picture." Emily smoothed her fingers through her hair and rubbed her cheeks, trying to get some color into them.

"Emily!" Paige whined.

"What?" Emily whined back.

Paige captured Emily's hands and moved them into Emily's lap. "You look beautiful."

Emily let out a long sigh. "Well, I'm glad that you think so."

Paige kissed her. "I do." She slid a little closer to Emily and switched her phone to the front camera. "Here," she said, as she leaned her face close to Emily's and snapped the picture. Later, it became one of their favorite pictures of the two of them. That picture captured, in a way that no other picture of them did,the true affection that they had for each other and how natural and unaffected they were with each other.

* * *

It was dark by the time they made it back to Rosewood, having decided to push through and drive all the way home, stopping only for lunch, dinner, and the bathroom. They had planned to stop another night in a hotel, but they canceled their reservations. They just wanted to get home – back to their own shower and their own bed.

When Emily got out of the shower, Paige was sitting up in the bed, doing a crossword puzzle on her tablet. Emily walked into the closet and found a swimsuit. "I'm just going to take a quick dip in the pool," she said, resting a hand on Paige's shoulder as she walked past the bed to the sliding door that opened to the pool.

"I'll come sit with you," Paige said with a yawn.

"You don't have to. I mean, you can, if you want, but I'm okay."

"I'll catch up with you,"

Emily took a running jump into the pool and swam a few laps freestyle before she rolled over and swam the backstroke for a while. When she noticed that Paige had settled into one of the poolside chairs, she pulled over to the side, treading water. "I'm going to miss this when we move," she said. Paige nodded. "Don't get me wrong. I'm excited about living in the city, but having this pool was just great."

"I know what you mean," Paige said. "Even if we move into a building with a pool, it won't be just ours. It could get crowded on the days when we really need it to cool off…"

"And it's not going to be as convenient, just walk outside…"

"And run into the kitchen whenever we want to grab a snack."

"But, hey," Emily said as she climbed out of the pool, "We won't have the hassle of having to clean it!"

Paige went over to her with a towel and wrapped it around Emily's shoulders. "I used to love coming home and finding you out here swimming. Remember? Before we lived together?"

"Oh, Paige," Emily said with a demure smile. Paige was puzzled. Emily laughed nervously. "Any excuse to come over here and hang out with you."

Paige pulled the ends of Emily's towel, drawing her in close. "And I thought that you only loved me for my pool!"


	38. The New Place

After their graduation trip, Paige and Emily sat down to look at the budget before they started apartment hunting. Because they had both gotten athletic scholarships for their undergraduate studies, and Emily lived at home and worked part time while she earned her master's degree, they had almost no student-loan debt. Their cars were both paid off, but both had a lot of miles on them. Since they were going to live in Philadelphia, where limited parking and the ease of getting around on foot or on public transportation made it easier to get by without a car, they decided to sell or trade-in both of their cars and get a used car with fewer miles, for emergencies, trips out of town, and nights when Paige had to stay late at the office.

"So, we should be in pretty good shape?" Emily said it as a question; optimistic, but seeking confirmation.

"We're in very good shape," Paige affirmed.

"And, you've got to think that the amount of rent that we can get for a whole house Rosewood should be enough to cover a nice apartment in Philly."

"Well, it's not quite that simple," Paige said. "Remember, we still have to make mortgage payments on our house."

"Oh, yeah," Emily said, her optimism fading. "Are we going to be able to afford to live in the city?"

Paige nodded. "Yeah, we can afford it. You know, my company gave me that relocation bonus for coming back from San Francisco, and that covered my mortgage payments for six months. I kept paying down the principal, so we're ahead. And we can find some ways to save money, so that we can afford a reasonable rent payment."

Emily sighed. "Paige, I can get a part-time job. My parents raised me to be a hard worker!"

Paige squeezed Emily's hands. "I know, Em. But, as I said, I'd like for us to budget ourselves so that we can live on one income. It's always best to budget for less than you have. That way, when the unexpected happens, you don't go under."

"Okay, but…" Emily shook her head.

"But what, Emily?"

Emily knew that she could tell Paige anything, even if it sounded selfish. "But will we still be able to afford to have fun? I mean, it would be a shame to live in Philadelphia just to be able to say that we live there, and not be able afford to take advantage of all of the fun things about living in a city every once in a while - the restaurants, the clubs, the shows..."

"Yeah," Paige said, smiling into Emily's eyes. "You're absolutely right. And I don't think that it's going to be a problem. But, if it is, we'll adjust, you know? I think that we can do it without dipping into your income, but, if it ends up that we're just living like misers, counting every penny, we'll recalibrate. As long as we're putting money in savings every month. That's the important thing."

Emily rubbed Paige's shoulder and said, "Okay," softly.

"So," Paige said slapping her hands on the table in an attempt to restore the enthusiasm to the conversation, "Are you ready to look at some apartments?"

* * *

Paige spoke with some of her co-workers who lived in Philadelphia and arranged for them to show Emily and her around their buildings before they started talking to any of the buildings' leasing agents. There were a lot of factors to consider: Neighborhoods, parking, amenities, the type of space, the type of building, and, of course, cost.

They ended up getting a loft in a converted warehouse in Old City, not far from the Delaware River. They didn't have a pool, but they had a view of the water. When the weather was nice, they could move their work-outs outdoors, running the Ben Franklin Bridge instead of a treadmill. Another benefit in the summers that they could see the fireworks from Campbell Field, after the Camden Riversharks' baseball games.

Hanna was adamant that she should be the first person to see their new place. "After all," she insisted, "if it weren't for me, you two losers would never have gotten together in the first place!"

Paige and Emily couldn't really argue with that, and, besides, no one else was campaigning to be the first to see their place, so they arranged to meet Hanna for brunch at Sabrina's in the Italian Market section of the city. It was the original location that the owners of the Sabrina's where Hanna and Emily went for brunch with Paige when they ran into her in the city, before Paige and Emily got together, opened. This location was closer to their loft apartment, and had a different energy; younger and hipper.

"Whoa!" Hanna exclaimed once they got back to the apartment after brunch. "This place is so Boho!" Hanna put her hand on Paige's shoulder, batting her eyelids at her. "Paige, Emily can pull this off, but you're going to have to up your hipster game if you're planning to live in this neighborhood!"

"That's why I have Emily in my life," Paige said, pulling Emily in from the side for a hug. "She helps me up my hipster game."

Hanna rolled her eyes. She took Emily by the hand to explore the apartment. It was an open-plan loft, with one giant room sectioned off into a living area, a dinette, and a large, modern kitchen. On the other side of the interior wall was a single bedroom connected to a bathroom, and a storage area. There were six massive windows, fourteen feet tall by six feet wide, sheathed in pale parachute-like curtains that came with the apartment. "We've got to do something about that, girl!"

By the time Hanna and Emily completed their circuit of the apartment, Hanna had come up with a pretty extensive shopping list. "Your fiancée and I are going to go pick up some things," Hanna announced. "You can come if you want, but…" Paige put her palms up at shoulder-height, shaking her head. She didn't mind shopping with Emily, but she wasn't quite ready to find out whether or not all of Spencer's horror stories about shopping with Hanna were true.

When Emily kissed Paige good-bye, she said, "It's probably going to go over $250, Paige."

Paige gave her the thumbs up. "Go for it!"

Paige and Emily established a rule: Neither one would spend more than $250 without getting the other's consent. It had been Emily's idea. As much as Paige told her that they had everything in common, Emily couldn't help thinking about the fact that money is what breaks up most couples, and she wanted to be sure that they kept themselves accountable to each other.

The exception to this rule was gifts. In order to be able to keep gifts a surprise, they were allowed to spend more than $250 without consulting the other, but this was more or less a formality. Neither of them was likely to spend more than $250 on gifts for the other.

* * *

Hanna and Emily returned hours later, laden down with home decorating supplies. Paige had started on dinner for the rest of the girls, who were set to arrive later in the evening. Hanna and Emily got to work doing as much as they could before dinner. Unfortunately, replacing the horrible curtains would have to wait until they had more time, more help, and a ladder.

The apartment was a big hit with Aria and Spencer. Hanna showed them around as if it were her place – or she were the third roommate - while Paige and Emily got dinner on the table. Afterwards, everyone relaxed on the couch with a round of coffee. They talked about mainly about Paige and Emily: What it was like living in Philadelphia, Emily's new job, and the plans for decorating the new apartment.

It got late, and Aria and Spencer got ready to say good night. Hanna, of course, was sleeping over. She wanted to be their first sleepover guest. "But I don't want to be the first one who has to bang on the walls because you guys are going at it too loud," she warned them, adding, "Hashtag, 'chill out lovebirds.' "

* * *

"Do we wake her?" Paige whispered.

"Good luck trying."

"So, we leave her?"

"Yeah. Leave her. We'll just bring her back a muffin and some coffee."

"Good," Paige said. "I think I've had enough of the H Train for one weekend."

"I can hear you, you know," Hanna rasped.

"Oops," Paige said with a shrug of her shoulders, not feeling guilty at all.

"It's okay, _Paigey_ ," Hanna said smugly as she snuggled back into the couch. "I know that you love me."

* * *

Ezra moved into Paige and Emily's house in Rosewood and, over the course of a few months, Aria moved in with him. Ezra and Aria made it known that Paige and Emily were always welcome to come by and use the pool, and the pool became a feature of many of their long-weekend trips to Rosewood over the summer.

Paige and Emily had a little over a month to make their loft into a home before Emily started work. Like most schools in Philadelphia, Arch Street Academy opened the day after Labor Day. Emily was eager to get her classroom supplies and decorate her room. "Anyone would think that you're one of the students, the way that you're preparing for the first day of school!"

Living with an elementary school teacher was an eye-opening experience for Paige. She had never stopped to think how much of their own money schoolteachers pour into classroom supplies and decorations, especially at a small, private school like Emily's. She had also never considered how much time teachers spend working outside the classroom - grading papers and putting report cards together. But the biggest shock that came with Emily's job was how much Paige missed their Wednesday lunches together. Even after they moved in together, and after they moved to Philadelphia, they had kept up the tradition of going out for lunch on Wednesdays.

Paige, who liked to tease Emily about the fact that she got to slack off in the summers, found herself looking forward to those summer, when Emily didn't have to work and they could go back to their Wednesday dates. Summer had never been Paige's favorite season, growing up in Miami. That was one of the reasons that she had taken a job up north. In Miami, summer meant oppressive heat and hordes of tourists. Now that summer meant the resumption of her Wednesday dates with Emily, it became Paige's favorite season.

* * *

Emily called Paige's office when she got home from school on a Monday afternoon. The end of the school year – Emily's first year as a teacher – was approaching, their wedding plans were in full swing, and they needed a break.

"Hey, Beautiful," Paige said enthusiastically when she picked up her cell phone.

"Hey! Is this a good time to talk?" Emily was still a little leery of calling Paige at work. Even though it had never been a problem with Paige, Emily couldn't help remembering how poorly Samara reacted whenever Emily disturbed her at the office.

"It's always a good time when it's you on the line! Did you get it?"

"I got it! Are you still free?"

"I'm still free!"

"Oh, terrific!" Emily was beaming. "Okay, I just wanted to let you know! I'll see you in a little bit. I love you!"

"I love you, too, Em. I can't wait for this weekend."

Emily had become friends with one of the counselors at her school. As the summer approached, Emily talked with her about how much she loved the shore. Emily reminisced about spending time at Spencer's parents' place in South Jersey, and mentioned that she and Paige would like to find a rental themselves. Her friend told her that her parents had a place on Long Beach Island that was free in the first weeks of summer, and that she and Paige were welcome to spend a weekend there.

* * *

When Friday came around, Paige and Emily were bubbling over with excitement for the weekend. Paige's enthusiasm quickly waned when she got her introduction to something that she had never encountered before: Shore traffic. Emily had grown accustomed to it growing up and was able to deal with it. She just turned the radio up and started a dance party in the car. It was a dance party of one for most of the trip, but she finally got Paige to play along for the tail end of the trip.

Still, Paige wasn't in the best of moods when they finally got to the house. "This place could use a couple of coats of paint," she said, as soon as they pulled into the long, gravel driveway beside the house.

Emily shrugged. "It'll be fine. We're not dong a photo-shoot with it," she pointed out, rubbing Paige's stomach as they walked up to the door. "We're just staying here for the weekend."

"How do we even get to the beach from here?" Paige naïvely thought that all shore houses were right on the beach, the way that Spencer's family's house was.

"It's a couple of blocks…" Emily looked around to get her bearings, "that way," she said. "And they left us their residents' beach tags," she added, still enthusiastic.

Paige found more things to criticize once they got inside. Emily's recurring themes were that the place was free, and that they were lucky to have a place where they could get away together for the weekend. She was determined not to be deterred by Paige's critical attitude. She was confident that Paige would come around, eventually.

* * *

After they got all of their luggage put away, they got changed, and Emily took Paige for a walk along the beach. Even though they had run into a lot of shore traffic, the section of the beach near the was relatively quiet. The sand was shimmering in the twilight, and it didn't take long for Paige to fall under the spell of the ocean and her fiancée. They stopped under and empty lifeguard station and Paige kissed Emily gently as she held her close. Emily smiled at the fact that Paige had decided to relax and enjoy the weekend. They walked hand in hand back to the house and cuddled up next to each other on the couch.

"I'm sorry that I was so grumpy, Emily. This place is great. I'm really glad that you got it for us. I hope that you don't think that I'm ungrateful for it."

Emily smiled weakly. "Do you really like it?"

"I really do. I'm not just saying that."

"Great," Emily said shyly as she sat up and put a bit of distance between Paige and her. "Because it's ours. I.. kind of… bought it."

Paige laughed out loud, knowing that Emily was joking. Emily had turned her body away from her, and Paige assumed that it was because Emily couldn't keep a straight face after what she said.

When she heard Paige laugh, Emily turned to face her, with a look that was a mixture of sorrow, guilt, and a little bit of fear. She was biting the tip of her little finger.

"Wait, are you serious?" Paige hugged Emily, laughing now with joy over the fact that they had a house at the shore. "You bought us a shore house?" Emily nodded tentatively. "How is that even possible?"

Emily explained that her friends' parents had inherited the house when one of her uncles passed away. Her parents lived out west, and they had no interest in the house. They were trying to find someone who would buy it, and all that they wanted was the $24,000 in taxes that were due on the house. "So," she explained, still having a hard time looking Paige in the eye, "I wrote her a check for $2,500, as the downpayment. But she said that she'd hold onto the check till I talked it over with you. I mean, I know we're supposed to talk it over before we spend more than $250, but this could be like a wedding gift?" Emily took hold of Paige's hands, pleading with her eyes.

Paige needed more than just Emily's hands. She held Emily incredibly tight, kissing her with all she had. "Emily, you're amazing. Incredible. You're unbelievable."

"I know that it needs a lot of work," Emily said, as she shifted position in Paige's arms, "but I thought that we could do a little bit at a time. And we'll have lots of help. My Dad said that he can come down, and Hanna, Aria, Spencer and the guys will probably want to come, too."

"I can't believe that you got us a house!" Emily saw tears starting to form in Paige's eyes and wiped them away with her fingers. "God, Emily – you really do make my dreams come true!" Paige kissed Emily's forehead.

"So you're not mad? It means that we have to take out another loan…"

"Oh, that's nothing. $25,000? We can take that from our retirement account and pay ourselves back with interest." Paige sensed that she was starting to get all geeked-out over accounting again, so she reined herself in. "We've got a shore place!" she yelled, pumping her fists in the air. Emily was finally able to relax. She had been sure that things would work out, but she didn't like doing anything behind Paige's back. "What did I ever do to deserve you?"

Emily smiled. That was a question that she knew the answer to. "You came back to me," she said with a sweet kiss.

"So, you know what this means," Paige said after things calmed down.

Emily sighed. "What does it mean, Paige?" she asked mechanically. She wasn't sure where Paige's mind was going, but she could tell from the way that she wiggled her eyebrows that it involved some kind of innuendo.

"It means eight new rooms for us to christen!"

Emily raised her fists to the sky and threw her head back, yelling in mock-frustration, "Hanna!"


	39. The Price is Right

"So, happy birthday," Paige said, handing the gift bag over the table to Emily as they waited for their dessert. Emily's eyes lit up and her lips curled up into a smile. She had been waiting all evening to see what was in the bag that Paige had been toting ever since they left the apartment for dinner an hour or so earlier.

"Oh, it's cute!" she said, pulling out the slim, leather clutch and giving it the once over, checking the configuration of the pockets and holding up to her nose to get a good whiff of its scent.

"It's for your passport and papers, you know. On our honeymoon," Paige said, as if Emily needed her to specify that the passport was for their honeymoon. "God, how stupid am I, getting married in the same month as your birthday? I'm going to be broke every June, between wedding and anniversary gifts.

Emily rubbed Paige's arm and pouted empathetically. "I just love it," she asserted. "Where did you find it?"

"I got it from a small boutique on Sansom Street. Aria helped me pick it out."

"Aria?" Emily smiled. "You went shopping with Aria?"

Paige nodded. "Yes?" She drew out the word, not getting why Emily was so surprised by this.

"No, that's great, Paige. It's just, I'm not used to hearing about the two of you doing things together."

"Well, it was either that or go shopping Hanna. And I'm still not sure that I'm ready for shopping with Hanna."

"You're not," Emily assured her, smiling.

"Anyway, I figured that Aria would know all of the cool places to shop in town. And I thought that, even though her tastes can be… shall we say, eclectic? – it would be easier for me to veto her ideas than it would be to veto Hanna's."

"Good point," Emily said, nodding. "So, how many ideas did have to you veto?"

"Surprisingly few, actually. She didn't really suggest anything too outrageous. She pointed out a couple of bags that you would like, but, when we saw this one, we both knew that it was the one." Emily nodded. "So, how did we do?"

"You did great," Emily said, squeezing Paige's arm.

"Sorry it's not very much. You know, with the wedding and the honeymoon expenses."

"Oh, Paige. I don't need big gifts from you. It's the thought behind it. Whenever I see this, it'll remind me of our honeymoon, and our first big trip together."

"I know. It's just… Well, I don't want you to think that this is going to be the pattern for our future, you know? Trust me, I'm not going to neglect your birthday because it's so close to our anniversary."

Emily rubbed Paige's arm to know that it was okay. She was much more interested in the fact that Paige had tied the gift to their upcoming trip, and that she had gone to the effort of arranging a shopping trip with Aria, to be sure that she got just the right bag. The gift was more than enough for her.

"Ahh! Paige! We're going to London!" she squealed. "I'm so excited! Aren't you?" Paige nodded, smiling broadly, almost as excited by Emily's enthusiasm as she was about the trip itself. "Are you ready for Great Britain?"

"Yes," Paige deadpanned. "I've been practicing my English for a couple of months, now, so I think I'm just about ready."

"Ha ha," Emily mocked. " _Cheeky!_ " Emily laughed and took a sip of her coffee, taking an extra moment to straighten out her napkin. "I can't believe that we're actually going! I've never been out of the country before!"

"Neither have I."

"Wouldn't it be great if we could stay longer, you know? Not to be ungrateful for what we have, but it just seems that we're not going to be able to do everything in two weeks."

"Yeah. I know. I wish that we could stay longer, too. Unfortunately, we don't _all_ have the kind of jobs that let us take the summer off to hobo our way around Europe!"

"Yeah, yeah. I _need_ my summers off, McCullers! Trust me, you couldn't handle my job for a week."

"Oh, God, no!" Paige laughed. "I couldn't handle just _thinking_ about your job for a week!"

"But, it would be great if we both had the summers off, though, wouldn't it? If we could see more of Europe together."

"Yeah." Paige squeezed Emily's hand. "But, hey. We're still young, and Europe's not going anywhere. Maybe we should make that our tradition – taking a week in Europe on every anniversary, visiting someplace new each time."

"That would be great," Emily smiled, thinking too herself, _if we could afford it._

* * *

When their desserts came, they settled in, each sampling what the other had ordered. Paige kept checking her phone. She pulled it partially out of her pocket and glanced in her lap, hoping that she could keep Emily from noticing, but it was no use. Emily noticed.

"What's that all about?" Emily asked amiably, gesturing to Paige's lap.

Paige smiled, trying not to look too guilty. "What do you mean?"

"Obsessively checking your phone? That's not like you."

Paige sighed, putting both of her hands on the table in defeat. "Okay, I suck at surprises, she conceded. "I'm supposed to keep you out of the apartment till they get everything ready."

"A surprise party?"

"Yes," Paige said, in resignation. "Please at least try to act surprised. Nobody thinks that that I can pull it off!"

"You almost had me! You would have, if you hadn't kept checking your phone!"

"Hanna was supposed to text me to let me know that they're ready for us. She should've texted a while ago."

They finished dessert, paid the bill, and took a slow, romantic walk through Washington Square Park before the text from Hanna finally came.

* * *

When they got back to the apartment, Emily didn't have to pretend to be surprised. The room had been completely redecorated. All of the furniture was pushed over to the sides, and there were music stands in the middle of the room, plus a couple of objects covered by blankets. The curtains were sticking out because things were hidden behind them. As Emily took all of this in, Toby pulled an oversized t-shirt over her head that said, "It's my birthday! Pick me!" Caleb added a dollar-store tiara as Toby pulled a t-shirt that said, "Birthday Girl's Fiancée" over Paige's head. Emily heard her father's voice say, "Emily Fields! Come on down! Paige McCullers! Come on down! You are the first and only contestants on The Price is Right!"

Hanna had told him to say "The _Lesbian_ Price is Right," but he refused.

Paige led Emily, her head down, smiling out of embarrassment, over to one of the music stands and took her place behind the music stand that was next to it.

"Now, here's your host, Spencer Hastings!"

Spencer chose to play the role of host rather than to wear a shimmery dress and point at prizes. Hanna was more than happy to do that, and Aria didn't mind making a fool out of herself for Emily's birthday.

"Thank you, Wayne, and welcome to The Price is Right. What's our first item up for bid?"

"Well, Spencer, the first item up for bid is this beautiful set of Samsonite luggage!" Hanna pulled a blanket off of a set of luggage in the middle of the room and gestured toward it, smiling like a TV spokesmodel. Emily recognized the luggage. She and Paige had shopped for luggage on-line, and this was the set that they agreed would be their best bet. "Emily?"

"$270?" Emily said, trying her best to remember the price.

"$270. And, now Paige?"

"$787, Spencer!"

"The actual retail price of this Samsonite luggage is… $285! Emily come on up here!"

Emily went up and hugged Spencer, the way contestants do on the real show. "Welcome, Emily! That was a great bid. Wayne, what do we have for Emily?"

"Well, Emily, you can use that luggage on your trip to France!" Aria walked across the open space holding up a travel poster with a shot of the Eiffel Tower and the Champs Elysées. We'll send you on a trip for two across the English Channel on the Eurostar, to the City of Lights, where romance awaits you! Deluxe accommodations at a beautiful hotel in the center of it all and all of your meals are included, but only if The Price is Right!"

"Okay, Emily, we're going to play the Passport Game. Now, this is one of my favorite games. It's a game that a lot of people win, so take your time and think it over. Okay?" Emily nodded. "Are you ready?"

"I'm ready, Spencer!" Emily was smiling, full of nervous energy, fully caught up in the show, even though it was just a party game.

"All right. All you have to do is put these three things in the correct order, from least expensive to most expensive." Aria took the sheet off of an easel that had a corkboard with three sheets of paper tacked up to it. The first had a picture of a passport over the words, "Fees for a US Passport," the second had a picture of a visa, over the words, "A visa to visit the UK from the US," and the third had a picture of a British Airways jet over the words, "Round trip airfare from Philadelphia to London."

Emily and Paige had checked, and she knew that they didn't need a visa for their visit. She switched the card with the visa with the card for the passport, knowing that the airfare would cost the most.

"Is she right?" Spencer asked, and Wayne rang a bell. "Congratulations, Emily! You're going to Paris!"

Aria ushered Emily over to a seat, and Spencer continued with Paige. "All right, Paige, since you're the only bidder left, you automatically win this round. Come up here and let's see what you're playing for!"

"It's a train trip for two through Europe! Starting in Paris, you'll travel first class on the world-famous Eurail on your three week trip through the European countryside, stopping in The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, and Italy!" Aria and Hanna crisscrossed each other hoisting travel posters from each country as its name was called out. "Deluxe accommodations and and all meals included!"

"Okay, Paige. This game is a little more challenging. In order to win that trip, you'll need to tell me, within fifty cents, the exchange rate between Euros and Dollars. So, Paige, how much is one Euro worth in dollars?"

"Um… I'd say about a dollar fifteen?"

"Is she right?"

Wayne dinged the bell again. "Hey – congratulations, Paige! You're going to Europe!"

Paige looked at Emily and gave her the thumbs up.

"Now, ordinarily," Spencer explained, "this is where we would spin the wheel to see who's going to our final showcase, but, since we only have two contestants, and, let's face it, we can't afford a wheel, we don't have to spin! Emily, Paige, take your positions here, and Wayne, please show us showcase number one!"

"It's an Italian cruise!" Hanna and Aria had donned sailor's caps before they pulled aside a curtain and pointed to a model of a boat that had been hidden behind it. "From the Eternal City, you and a guest will visit such ports of call as Venice and Florence on this all-inclusive cruise! And this trip can be yours if the Price is Right!"

"What do you say, Paige? Do you want to bid on that showcase or pass it on to Emily?"

"I'd like to bid on it, Spencer. I'll say, $24,800!"

Emily recoiled in shock, and the audience members – Pam, Toby, Caleb, and Ezra – booed. Paige, who had shouted out the bid confidently, shrugged her shoulders. Emily comforted her with a hug from the side. She knew, of course, that Paige had intentionally tanked her bid.

"All right, Emily. I think that you have a pretty good shot at winning this," Spencer said, and the audience members laughed. "You just have to be careful not to go over on your bid! Wayne, what do we have for Emily in our second showcase?"

"Well, Emily, get ready to make some memories with this Canon EOS T5 Rebel Camera!" Aria unveiled the camera and winked at Emily. Emily had asked Aria's advice on choosing a camera for their honeymoon, and Aria went on in great length about this very camera. Emily hadn't discussed the purchase with Paige yet, but she remembered the price very well.

"All right, Emily. Do you have your bid?"

"Well," Emily smiled knowingly at Paige. "I'm going to say, $699!"

"Okay, you're locked in. Let's start with you, Paige. You bid $24,800." Paige hung her head in shame, putting her hands up acknowledging how ridiculous her bid was. The actual retail price of your showcase is... Do we even have to look? You're over!"

Paige smiled, playing the lovable loser as Emily met her with another hug.

"All right, Emily. Your bid was $699. The actual retail price of your showcase is - $699!" Emily cheered, even though she knew that it was all a set-up, and Paige gave her a congratulatory hug. "And, guess what, Emily! Since your bid was within $50, you win both showcases!" Emily fist-pumped, caught up in the thrill of victory. "So, do you have anyone in mind to go on that trip with you?"

"Paige, I guess," Emily said sarcastically, shrugging at Paige with a face that said, "How about it?" She gave Paige another hug and said, "Thanks, Paige. This is a beautiful dream!"

"I know, right?"

"Now you do realize," Emily teased, "that you'll actually have to take me to all of these places someday!"

Paige pulled away from Emily. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm just kidding," she said, patting her on the shoulder. "You know – ha ha, since you showed me all these places, you really have to take me."

"Emily, we _are_ going to all these places… You know – our honeymoon?"

Emily sucked her teeth. "Paige!" She slapped her lightly on the shoulder for dragging the joke out too long. "As if you could even get that much time off from work!"

"I can. And I did!"

"And how could we even _afford_ this trip?" she asked, laughing.

"Well," Paige started, but Hanna interrupted.

"She asked all of your bestest friends"

"And our families!" Spencer interjected.

"– instead of buying wedding gifts for you two, to pitch in for this trip!"

"And your birthday presents," Aria chipped in.

"And I took some money from our savings," Paige added.

"You're serious?" Emily's question came out in a high-pitched squeal. She was barely able to breathe from the shock and excitement. "This is real?"

"Surprise!" Paige said, throwing jazz hands up in the air. Emily still couldn't get her mouth to close. "Seriously, were you surprised?"

"Paige," Emily said sincerely, fanning her hand in front of her face as she attempted to steady her breathing and heartrate, "there was no way in the world that I could've seen this coming. This is the sweetest, most incredible, amazing…"

"Well," Paige said with a satisfied smile as Emily's words trailed off. "I learned from the best!" She leaned over and planted a kiss on Emily's forehead.

Emily pulled Paige in close for another hug, harder and longer than the ones that had preceded it. Hanna moved behind her so that only Paige could see when she made a circle with the thumb and index finger of her left hand, moving her right index finger back and forth through the circle. After a couple of repetitions, she mouthed the words, "Lesbian Equivalent."


	40. At Last

**A/N - Guest: "I didn't understand what Hanna did in the though. What did her hand action mean?"**

 **I was trying to describe the (crude) gesture that some people use to represent male-into-female penetration... :)**

* * *

Emily was right, Paige realized, as she took step after step, trying her best to keep on-rhythm with the music: It _did_ feel great - unbelievably great - in spite of all their recent history, for her to have her arm around her father's as he walked her down the aisle.

Emily was already waiting for her at the front of the meeting room in the Ethical Society's building on Rittenhouse Square. She smiled, shaking her head at the sight of her fiancée, wearing her favorite, comfortable, beat-up Vans, black skinny jeans, and a white T-Shirt with the words, "Bride #1" in black print across the front. Paige wanted to cut the sleeves off of the shirt, or at least roll them up, but Emily insisted that a little more decorum was called for - even if it was just the rehearsal.

Emily herself was wearing a khaki skirt that hit a few inches above her knees and a "Bride #2" shirt with a pair of flats. There hadn't been much discussion over who would wear "#1" and who would wear "#2." Emily thought that it should go in alphabetical order, with both "Emily" and "Fields" beating "Paige" and "McCullers," but Paige insisted that, as the one who was proposed to, she was bride #1. The discussion was just light-hearted joking, of course. In every way, their relationship was one of equal partners.

To the left of Emily stood Hanna, Aria, and Spencer. On Paige's right were her high school friend, Pru, Caleb, and Jackie from San Francisco.

* * *

Nick and Mose McCullers were staying with Emily's parents in Rosewood the week before and the week after the wedding. Pam and Mose had spent the night before the rehearsal preparing the dinner, and after the rehearsal, they plated the dishes up for their guests.

After everyone had settled in around the tables, Aria set up a slide show of photographs from Paige and Emily's romance. Hanna narrated. The show began at the beginning, with the picture from that night at The Suds, when they all met for happy hour. As Hanna explained, "This would be nothing more than an ordinary picture of friends hanging out, except for the fact that it was discovered prominently hanging in the office of one Paige 'Stalker' McCullers, back when she and Emily were 'Just Friends!' " Hanna made air quotes around the last two words, and everyone laughed - except Paige.

"She's not going to say that at the reception, is she? Samara's going to be there!"

Emily nodded. "She probably is, knowing Hanna!"

"Well, can you talk to her? I don't want Samara to think that there was anything going on between us while you two were together."

"I'll talk to Hanna," Emily said. "But I guess that I should talk to Samara, too. But she knows that there was nothing going on, Paige."

"I know she does. I just don't want her to get blindsided by this at our wedding."

Spencer, overhearing a word or two that they were whispering, deduced what was going on. She leaned in and said, "I'll talk to them. You guys don't need to worry about that on your big day."

Now able to relax a little, the couple tuned back into Hanna's narration as she was describing how pitiful Emily was and how pathetically clueless Paige was, when Paige was in San Francisco. Jackie yelled, "Yes," and nodded her head vigorously at the word "clueless."

Emily squeezed Paige's hand to avoid crying when Hanna told how "Paige came back to her." Under her breath, Emily said, "Paige came back to me" at the same time.

"And Paige will always come back to Emily," Hanna continued, "just as Emily will always come back to Paige, because, lez be honest, they're made for each other, and nothing and no one will ever be able to come between them."

Hanna took a deep breath before Aria showed the next picture. "This is their favorite picture," Hanna explained, describing the picture that Paige took of them sitting on a picnic table at a rest stop after the night from Hell. This picture illustrates that, in good times and in bad times, they'll always be Paily, and they'll always stick it out.

Paige looked at Emily as Emily looked at the picture. Emily was smiling contentedly, and the look in her eyes showed pure love. Had it been any other picture of Emily - or of the two of them - looking like that, Emily would have hidden her face or demanded that Hanna jump to the next picture. But that picture - that moment - was something sacred - something that she would treasure forever.

Hanna's voice interrupted their reverie. "Did you guys ever find out what was outside the car that night?"

"Emily's imagination!" Paige shouted, turning to laugh at Emily.

"No, Paige, I swear to God!" She stood up, indignant, eager to defend her sanity. "Paige knows, because I showed you that article, remember?" she said, turning her attention to Paige. "The woods were full of lab animals that night, because some nut-job high school kids broke into a research lab and set all of the animals free!"

Paige tugged on Emily's arm to get her to sit down. Once Emily sat, Paige went in for a kiss, but Emily backed away, wagging her finger in Paige's face, pretending to be offended.

"And that brings us," Hanna's voice rang out exaggeratedly loud, "to today." The image on the screen switched to a live shot of the couple with a heart around their faces. They couldn't have wiped the smiles off of those faces if they had wanted to. "Emily, Paige, you guys have had a lot of ups and downs - mostly ups"

Paige leaned in to whisper in Emily's ear, "Is that supposed to be sexual?" Emily shook her head and waved Paige off, not wanting to miss the rest of what Hanna had to say.

"But everything that you've been through has brought you to where you are today, and that's what's going to carry you through the good times and the bad times of married life, child-rearing - right Mama Fields and Mama McCullers? - empty-nesting, and retirement. You guys know that I love you - that we all love you - and we wish you nothing but the best."

Hanna took a bow as the guests clapped. Emily stood up and clapped, wiping her eyes against her shoulder. Paige, stood, too, and, when the applause died down, she took Emily's hand. "Thank you, Hanna. What Hanna didn't mention is that she's probably the single biggest reason that Emily and I are here tonight. I mean, I've felt nothing but love from Spencer and Aria, Pam and Wayne, and everybody here, since the very beginning. But we owe a special debt to Hanna. So, again, thank you Hanna, for everything."

Hanna came over to them with tears in her eyes, hugging Paige first and then Emily.

Emily was feeling weak at the knees. As emotional as things were getting during the rehearsal, she knew that she would be a wreck the next day, when it was all happening for real.

* * *

The weather cooperated for them on the morning of their wedding. It was June, still a bit cool out, and not humid enough to mess with the bridal party's hair. The limousine was outside waiting for them by the time they were ready to get themselves into hair and makeup. The driver seemed practiced enough to navigate the narrow streets of Old City despite the stretched length of her sedan.

It is said that a bride should be the most beautiful person in the room on her wedding day, and no one would argue that Paige and Emily upheld that standard. Their theme was Yin and Yang; they complemented and completed each other. They wore almost identically styled mid-length dresses, Paige's in white, and Emily's in black. Paige accessorized with onyx earrings, necklace, and bracelets, and Emily with pearl. Both wore white pumps that were black at the toe. Paige wore her hair up, with tendrils teasing at her cheeks. Emily's curls cascaded in waves down to her shoulders.

The women in the bridal party wore dresses that were a more muted white, to avoid upstaging the brides, with a wide, black sash around their waists. Caleb wore an ivory double-breasted tuxedo, set off with a black and gray ascot.

The officiant began the ceremony by telling those gathered that this was a human experience, not just a ritual. "I want at least five mistakes," she said, explaining that mistakes are what make us human.

Paige and Emily were doing their best to remain in the moment. There was a lot on their minds, and there were a lot of details that needed to be taken care of, but they didn't want anything to distract them and keep them from cementing any of the precious memories of the biggest day in their lives.

Emily held onto the memory of her father, sitting ramrod straight in his dress blues, while Pam clung to him, overcome with emotion, her joy written all over her face.

Paige clung to the memory of all of their friends, all of them there to celebrate with them, each having played key roles in shaping who the two of them were and would become.

They treasured other memories, of course, but none could compete with the memory of the kiss. The kiss itself was soft, tender, and surprisingly brief. But more than the kiss, they held onto the memory of the promise behind it; the promise that would warm them on cold nights, comfort them in turbulent times, and steady them in those times when the world was collapsing around them.

* * *

Following the ceremony, the bridal party took pictures in Rittenhouse Square, at City Hall, and on the Art Museum steps. Paige and Emily took off their heels and took off on a Rocky Run up the steps of the museum. They posed on either side of the Rocky statue, leaning in to kiss his cheeks.

At the reception, Hanna and Aria reprised their slide show from the rehearsal, with some additional pictures from that afternoon thrown in. When the final, live image of them appeared, it became the kiss-cam, with all of their guests chanting "Kiss!" in unison.

Spencer delivered a speech about inevitability and the way the Universe has of working everything out. She was counting on her history in debate and law to help her stay dispassionate and under control, but her voice was breaking by the end of it.

Mose McCullers told the story of a star that spread from its galaxy, to find its own home in its own space. Gathered around it, she said, were planets with their satellites, and, ultimately, another star appeared, to share the system. "Paige, we always thought of you as our star. Not because of all the medals that you won or all of the records that you broke, but because you're a person who shares your light and warmth with everyone around you. Your father and I are so happy that you've found your own place in the sun."

Pam Fields stood up after all of the other speeches were over. She addressed her daughter-in-law directly. "Paige, I want to tell you a story. It's about a woman who grew up in a land far away, on the other side of the ocean. This was many years ago. She had a hard life, in difficult times, filled with difficulty and sadness. One day, she met a man who taught her how to smile, for the first time since she was a child. Nothing changed in her circumstances, but _everything_ in her life changed. She was fortunate enough to marry that man, and she told all of her children, including me, that when you meet the person who changes your life without changing your circumstances, that's the person whom you have to hold on to. When you came into my Emmy's life, I saw the way that you changed it. At first, you made her life harder, because, even though you two loved each so much, you couldn't find your way to each other. But, even back then, I knew that you were the one whom Emmy had to hold on to, because you passed my Mother's test: You changed her life. So, now, you two are together, and you're beginning your happily-ever-after. And all that I can tell you is welcome to our family, Paige, and be sure that you teach my grandchildren to go after that person who can change their lives without changing their circumstances, and to hold on."

* * *

The DJ invited the newlyweds to the floor for a dance with their fathers, to Tim McGraw's "My Little Girl." Paige was smiling and chatting softly with her father the entire time, so grateful that they were father-daughter again. Emily danced in silence, her head on her father's shoulder, remembering the many times that she had literally as well as figuratively run into his arms for comfort and support over the years. They silently acknowledged that this was the end of an era. Although Emily would never love her father any less, she now had other arms to run to – and there was one less reason that she would need to run for comfort to someone's arms.

Midway through the song, the fathers maneuvered their daughters over to each other, and the DJ switched the song to "At Last," sung, of course, by Nat 'King' Cole. Paige found herself singing along, and Emily smiled at the words themselves and at the way that they tickled in her ear:

 _At last  
My love has come along  
My lonely days are over  
And life is like a song_

 _At last_  
 _The skies above are blue_  
 _My heart was wrapped up in clover_  
 _The night I looked at you_

 _I found a dream that I could speak to_  
 _A dream that I can call my own_  
 _I found a thrill to press my cheek to_  
 _A thrill I'd never known_

 _You smiled and then the spell was cast_  
 _And here we are in heaven_  
 _for you are mine_  
 _At Last_

* * *

Paige and Emily snuck out of the reception not long after their first dance. Spencer had the keys to their apartment. She and Aria had volunteered to take the gifts and cards that people brought to the reception back the apartment at the end of the evening.

Paige had booked a night at the Omni, a boutique hotel in a grand old building not very far from their apartment. They were flying out of New York on Monday evening, both because the flights were cheaper, and because they didn't want to have to rush to get to the airport after the ceremony. They had all night to enjoy each other, each memory, and each moment.

The first thing that they did when they got to the hotel was order room service. With everything going on at the reception, they didn't really get time to eat. Paige took note of their first meal together: Room service burgers.

* * *

"You know one thing that I miss, living in the city?" Paige asked after dinner, as she stood at the window looking out into the Philadelphia night.

Emily came up behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist, with her chin on her shoulder. She had a pretty good idea what Paige missed. "What's that?"

Paige sighed. "I miss looking up at the stars at night." Just as Emily had suspected. Paige turned around in Emily's arms and kissed her. "But the city lights are a close second."

Emily kissed her. "Well, now we have both! The stars in the summer, and the lights the rest of the year."

"Thanks to you," Paige said. "You gave me the stars."

"And you gave me the world," Emily said, thinking of their honeymoon. They shared a long kiss, and Emily asked, "Is that the reason that your mother used the stars in her speech?"

"How about my Mom?" Paige chuckled. "Comparing us to a binary system? Now you see where I get my geek!"

"It was beautiful, Paige," Emily said with a kiss. "Just like you."

"Like you," Paige echoed. She smoothed out Emily's hair with her hands, and let her hands come to rest over Emily's ears. "Are you ready?" she asked, smiling.

"I'm ready," Emily whispered, smiling back at her.

It had begun.


	41. A Whole New World

Paige and Emily both woke up early on Sunday morning, as if they had both been stirred by the same internal alarm clock. They didn't have any reason to get up, but they didn't feel like going back to sleep, so they just remained spooned together under the sheets, sharing the occasional memory of something that had had happened on their wedding day, whenever one such memory floated through one or the other's minds. They shared some giggles, too, and some silence. And, they shared touches; at times chaste, at times flirtatious, and at times tickling. But, whatever the touches, they expressed a connectedness; a need to be in contact with each other. From an objective observer's perspective – an anthropologist, perhaps, from a different planet – what had happened between them the day before had been nothing more than an exchange of words; a public confession of the pre-existing commitment. But to believe that would be to believe that an apple tree is nothing more than a mechanism for delivering fruit; to ignore the shelter, the stability, and the intrinsic beauty that the tree provides.

In a practical sense, nothing had changed between them, between the time that they woke up Saturday morning and the time that they collapsed, exhausted, into each other early Sunday morning. But, in a very real sense, _everything_ had changed.

After a bit, Paige kissed the back of Emily's neck, through her hair. "Don't take this the wrong way," she announced, "but I'm going to roll over."

"Good," Emily said as she rolled over in the same direction and draped her arm over her wife's. "I get to be the big spoon!" When her bare body came into contact with Paige's again, it shot a tingling pulse through her body, and she involuntarily wriggled against Paige's bottom.

"Hey, what's going on down there?" Paige teased. Emily kissed a certain spot on Paige's neck where it met her collarbone, sending the tingle down Paige's spinal cord. She rubbed her flat palm gently against Paige's hip until they both drifted back to sleep.

Eventually, they got up, showered, dressed, and headed out for breakfast. They walked arm in arm for a couple of blocks, stopping for the occasional kiss, before they found a small breakfast place not far from Independence Hall and settled in for a relaxing meal.

"We never come to this part of the city," Paige observed.

"Paige," Emily laughed, "we live like five blocks from here!"

"Yeah, but did you know that this place was here?"

"Okay, you're right. We never come to this neighborhood," Emily conceded. "Why is that?"

"Too many tourists?"

Emily laughed again. "We've barely lived here a year, and you're already bashing the tourists?"

"Well, back to my original point, which was - you only have to go a couple of blocks, and you're in a completely different neighborhood. People think of Philadelphia as this big city, but, really, it's just a bunch of little cities."

"Speaking of tourists..." Emily tilted her chin toward two of her friends from the swim team at Danby who had just walked through the door. She got up to hug them, and she reintroduced them to Paige. "I didn't know that you guys were staying over in Philly."

"Yeah, well, we decided that, as long as we were here, we might as well take some time to see the city. I'm surprised you guys are up and around this morning!"

The four of them exchanged a few pleasantries before Emily's teammates excused themselves and found a table, not wanting to crash Emily's honeymoon.

* * *

After breakfast, Paige and Emily returned to the hotel to grab their things and check out. They could have walked back to their apartment from the hotel, and, ordinarily, they would have. But, it was their honeymoon, and they were supposed to be travelers. They caught a cab.

Back at the apartment, they found all of their gifts neatly stacked and organized against the wall. _Spencer._ They spent a good part of the early afternoon going through the stacks, making note of who had given what, and putting aside the checks to take to the bank and the cash to get converted to pounds and euros.

"Wow," Emily said, looking at the stack of restaurant gift cards. "We won't have to cook for a month!"

"Do they have Olive Garden in Rome?" Paige joked.

"No," Emily deadpanned, holding up another gift card. "Just Cracker Barrel."

After seeing all of the gift cards for restaurants, they decided that it was a good time to break for lunch. "We're going to have to clean out this refrigerator before we leave," Emily said.

"I'm surprised that Hanna didn't clean it out last night!"

"Maybe she should come by and look after the place, you know? We _are_ going to be gone for a long time."

* * *

"First homemade lunch as a married couple: PB&J," Paige ticked off as she rinsed their plates off and put them in the dishwasher.

"And for dessert…" Emily raised her eyebrows.

Paige walked over to her and gave her a kiss. "Stop that, you. We've still got a lot of packing to do."

"Isn't it great to be married, though?" Emily said with a gleam in her eye, resting her hands just under Paige's shoulders as Paige held her around her waist.

Paige leaned Emily back against the counter under the force and urgency of her kiss. "There's nothing like it," she rasped softly, through smiling lips.

They took a few minutes to enjoy their status update before they had to get back to business and start packing for their cruise. The cruise company had sent guidelines on the types of things that they would need for the journey, including formal wear for some of the ship's events. Spencer, whose family was used to taking extended trips, had advised them to have their luggage for the cruise shipped ahead, so that they didn't have to carry everything around with them on the rest of their stops through Europe. She gave them the name of a company and made all of the arrangements.

* * *

"So, is this our marriage bed?"

"Yes, Paige," Emily laughed as scooted her body closer to Paige's. It was a warm night, but Emily liked to crank up the air conditioner and sleep buried under blankets – or, in this case, to leverage some of her wife's body heat.

"Oh. So, the marriage bed isn't the first bed that we slept in after we got married?"

"Paige... That would mean that all of the thousands of newlyweds who stayed at that hotel had the same marriage bed!"

"Oh, yeah." Paige scrunched up her face. "Ew - you think that thousands of people had sex in that bed before us?"

In the two nights since the wedding, Paige and Emily got very little sleep. It wasn't just the sex; it was the replaying of memories from the wedding, and discussions of plans for their future, beginning with the honeymoon. They were like high school kids on the phone, neither one wanting to be the first to get off of the phone, each of whom told the other, "No, you hang up!"

They were exhausted but wired when they woke up Monday morning. They ran their errands - depositing the checks, exchanging currency, dropping off their cruise luggage - and got ready to catch the van to JFK.

* * *

The airplane, a twin-aisle, was massive; much bigger than what Paige and Emily were used to seeing. Once they got on board, Paige inhaled deeply. "Mmmm - I love the smell of airplane cabins!"

"You're really into scents, aren't you."

"I guess," Paige said, a little self-conscious, now that Emily had pointed it out. "You're just now noticing that?"

"It's our honeymoon, Paige. We're supposed to be discovering things about each other."

"Oh, you mean like the spot that I discovered right here?" Paige moved her finger in the direction of the dimples on Emily's back.

"Don't you dare!" Emily cautioned, pointing her finger right in Paige's face, as if she were training a puppy. There were way too many people around, and the flight was way too long for Paige to start something that they weren't going to be able to finish.

Once they were settled into their seats, Paige took Emily's hand and gave her a very serious look. "Okay," she said, "I was debating whether or not even to bring this up, but..." Emily squeezed Paige's hand, to let her know that she could tell her anything. Paige huffed out a deep breath.

 _Here it comes._ Emily braced herself. She could tell that it was something important to her wife.

"Emily, you're not going to do that thing where you talk with a fake British accent when we're actually in Great Britain, are you?"

Emily burst into laughter, as much from relief as from anything else. "Oi, Paige, wot d'you mean, Luv?"

"And, this is why I didn't want to bring it up," Paige said in resignation, with her hand on her forehead as she shook her head in embarrassment.

"Beh'a get used to it, Luv. Preh-y soon, evrybotty you 'ear will be tal'ing like 'is!"

"It's just horrible. You do realize that, don't you?"

"Eh? You wot?"

* * *

As fond as Emily was of talking in a bad British accent, it took a bit of time for her actually to be able to understand some of the people she talked with in London.

As their bus drove through London on the way to their hotel, Paige and Emily were overwhelmed by the sights, the sounds, and the energy of the city. It was an eye-opening experience, and one that they thoroughly enjoyed. They even enjoyed the food, despite Spencer's dire warnings.

They took in the history, the museums, and the sights, and Emily kept coming up with ideas for decorating her classroom, and ways to tie what they were seeing into her curriculum. "Okay," Paige said jovially, "where's the 'off' button for Teacher Emily? How do I switch back to Tourist Emily?"

"Ha ha," Emily mocked. "Anyway, you should be happy that I'm thinking about school! That way, we can write off this trip as a tax deduction!"

"And," Paige replied, widening her eyes in faux-excitement, "we can write off the attorney's fees when the IRS takes us to court for tax fraud!"

Emily laughed, tugging at Paige's chin with her right hand. "You see, the difference between you and me, McCullers, is that I _like_ Accountant Paige!" Paige's mouth rumpled into a pout above Emily's hand. Emily sighed. "But, not as much as Tourist Paige!" she conceded as she kissed Paige's pouty lips. "Actually," she said, winking at Paige's pout, "this Puppy-dog Paige is probably my favorite!"

* * *

The bed and breakfast where they stayed was a family operated affair. It almost felt as if they were exchange students staying with a host family rather than guests at a hotel. Actually, they felt more like relatives who had dropped in unexpectedly and were intruding on the family. As a result, they spent a lot of time out and about rather than in their room.

The family had a little sandy-haired boy who did nothing to convince Paige and Emily that they wanted children of their own anytime soon – or, maybe, ever. Add to that a very charming, very old, and very loud, creaky bed, and the B&B turned out to be a very frustrating choice for them.

But London is a lovely city, and they were still under the glow of their honeymoon, so nothing could keep them in a bad mood. They took their moments for intimacy where they could find them; - leaning their faces close together across the back table in a dimly lit pub, holding hands as they walked through the British museum, and moving the duvet off of the creaky bed and onto the floor, when they really needed to reconnect.

* * *

The ride to Paris on the Eurostar was a lot more pleasant than they had feared. There's something about a train – the way that it seemed to be moving in slow motion as the scenery outside the window whizzed by, but the coffee in the cup sat perfectly still – that had a relaxing, almost hypnotic effect. They were distracted enough that the half-hour or so that they spent under the English Channel almost went unnoticed. Soon, their phones came to life, alerting them to the change in time zone, and, not long after that, they were in Paris.

"Bonsoir, monsieur. Nous avons une réservation." Paige heard the words come out of Emily's mouth and was about to chide her for making fun of the French, but the man behind the counter smiled and said something that Paige couldn't understand. Emily replied, "Fields," showing the spelling of her name on her credit card.

The man behind the counter said a lot more, speaking incredibly fast as he circled some things with his pen on a brochure which he was holding out to Emily. Emily mostly nodded at his words, occasionally giving him a "Oui."

As they headed to the elevator, Paige said, "Okay, what the he'll was that?"

"It's just nice to make an effort, Paige." Emily smiled coyly. "Everyone appreciates that."

"Well, I must say, your fake French is certainly a lot better than your fake British!" Emily laughed, rubbing Paige's arm. "Seriously, though. Since when do you speak French?"

"Oh, Paige," Emily said as the elevator dinged and they climbed inside. "There are many things about me that you have yet to discover!" Emily quickly turned her back to Paige, covering the spot that Paige had discovered above her dimples with one hand and wagging the finger of the other hand at Paige. "And don't you dare!"

"Okay, but, really."

"Okay, so, you know those meditation MP3s I've been listening to in bed on my earphones?"

"No way! That really works?"

"Apparently..."

"And you could understand what that guy was saying?"

"About 15% of it," Emily admitted with a laugh.

Their hotel was in near Montparnasse, in a very international neighborhood. They challenged themselves to try a different country's cuisine every night, and they pretty much succeeded – if you count the American cuisine that they had at McDonald's after a long day-trip out to Versailles and back.

Over the course of their visit, they climbed everything from the Eiffel Tower to the Arc de Triomphe. Paige led them through the Louvre (twice), the Orangerie, the Musée d'Orsay, and some even smaller museums that Emily would have overlooked completely.

But there was no way to overlook the romance of the city itself. After late night strolls through the boulevards, and a nice bottle of wine, they were never so grateful to have a quiet hotel room (with a bed that didn't creak) to come home to.

* * *

Their train trip across through the European capitals was plagued by delays, cancellations, missed connections, and rerouting. They took it in stride, but they got to see far less of the rest of Europe than they had hoped - except through the tinted windows of the train. They made a promise to themselves to try again, sometime in the future. The important thing was that they made it to the port of call in Rome in time for their cruise.

They found the expediting company that Spencer had engaged, and exchanged the luggage that they had with them, to be shipped home, for the cruise luggage that had been shipped ahead.

Although they had economized in other parts of their trip so that they would be able to spend a little extra on their shipboard accommodations, their room turned out to be rather small. It didn't matter. They didn't spend much time there, and, when they were there, they didn't need much room.

* * *

There was a swing band in the grand ballroom after the formal dinner, and Emily, knowing how much Paige liked big bands, insisted that stop by and check it out.

After Paige and Emily enjoyed a pleasant evening of holding each other as they weaved their way across the dance floor, the band struck a slow, lazily paced song, thick with deep tones from the trombone section. Paige pulled Emily a little closer, gazing into her eyes as the verse started and she sang:

 _Somewhere beyond the sea  
Somewhere waiting for me  
My lover stands on golden sands  
And watches the ships that go sailing_

 _Somewhere beyond the sea  
She's there watching for me  
If I could fly like birds on high  
Then straight to her arms I'd go sailing_

Paige stopped singing, and, as the melody continued in the background, she pulled Emily in for a kiss.

"Nat 'King' Cole?" Emily asked with a smile when they released.

Paige shook her head and kissed Emily again. "No. Bobby Darin," she said, smiling back.

Paige backed away from Emily, taking her by the hand for a slow walk out to the deck. Paige perched against the rails in the moonlit night, her foot resting on the bottom rail and her hands clasped in front of her, holding Emily's hand between them, as their elbows rested on the top rail. Paige had a faraway look in her eye, and her gaze was focused, to Emily's surprise, down towards the water rather than up at the stars. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Emily asked as she rubbed her right hand over the hands that were sandwiching her left.

Paige nodded. "I was just thinking about water. I wish that I were a poet, so I could write about water, from the water that brewed the coffee that you brought to me on the day that the Universe first put us together, to the water in the tears that I cried over you – and over all of the things that I wished I'd had the guts to say to you..."

Emily tried to hide her shock at these words. She remembered the many nights that she had spent crying over Paige, of course, but this was the first time that she heard that Paige had cried over her.

"…to the water in the pool," Paige continued, "when I used to come home from work and find you swimming there."

"Ogle me while I was swimming there, actually" Emily corrected, nudging her shoulder against Paige's.

Paige dipped her head. She turned to the side, leaning her elbow against the rail, and Emily mirrored the move, so that they were facing each other.

"I was thinking that all of that water, if it were poured out into the sea, here," (she angled her head toward the sea beneath them) " – it wouldn't make a dent. It would just be lost in the vast breadth and depth of the sea."

Paige reached for both of Emily's hands. "The story of you and me can't be told apart from water. Water carries us; water moves us forward; we drink water, we weep water; we – primarily, we _are_ water. It was water that brought you and me together. And whatever happens to us is just like all of those lesser volumes of water dropped into this sea. The sea consumes them and carries on; – it carries _us_ on. The timeless, eternal sea."

* * *

 **A/N - Thanks to jhas, from whose review of chapter 39 I got the title for this chapter. :)**

* * *

 **So. Here we are, at what is, for me, the hardest part of writing fan fiction. I really, truly wish that I could keep this story going forever, but it's just not possible. After about a month, I need to go on hiatus and catch up on the rest of my life.** **(This story was actually supposed to end ten chapters ago - the proposal was originally chapter 31 - but I kept adding chapters based on prompts from your kind reviews and PMs.)**

 **I am just overwhelmed by the strong support - way above what I've experienced with any other fic - that this fic has received, and I seriously can't say "thank you" enough. First of all, thank you to all of the reviewers - especially those who took the time to review every (or almost every) single chapter. I really felt as if we were co-writing this story with you all. (I hope that you noticed your influence. You definitely made the story better.) I'm really going to miss hearing from you every day.**

 **And thanks to all of you for taking some of your precious time to read this story. Although we may never meet, I can honestly say that I love you all.**


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